Levan Shawn "Shizz" Alston Jr. (born September 21, 1996) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

SeaHorses Mikawa Seahorses Mikawa is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Kariya and sponsored by Aisin. The team was founded in 1947. The team played in the National Basketball League (Japan), National Basketball League. In July 2015 it was annou ...

of the Japanese

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that w ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

Early life and high school career

Alston grew up in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of either ...

. His father, Levan Alston Sr., played basketball at

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in the 1990s and professionally in China, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy. Growing up, the younger Alson would frequently call his father when he was overseas and discuss NBA games. When current Temple coach

Aaron McKie Aaron Fitzgerald McKie (born October 2, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach for his alma mater Temple Ow ...

played for the 76ers, he would sometimes leave tickets for Shizz. The younger Alston attended

The Haverford School , motto_translation = , address = 450 Lancaster Avenue , location = , region = , city = Haverford , county = , state = Pennsylvania , ...

and averaged 16.1 points per game as a sophomore. As a junior, he averaged 16.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and was named Second Team All State. As a senior, Alston was named First Team All State and led Haverford to a 17–11 record and the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Independent School Tournament. He averaged 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Alston was named Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year. He was an ESPN Top 100 recruit and selected Temple over offers from Notre Dame, Marquette, and VCU among others.

College career

In his collegiate debut, Alston scored 12 points in a 91–67 loss to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. His minutes decreased throughout his freshman season, and though Temple reached the NCAA Tournament, Alston considered the season frustrating largely playing behind

Quenton DeCosey Quenton D. DeCosey Jr. (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He played for Temple University men's basketball for four years before turn ...

and Devin Coleman. Alston averaged 2.1 points per game as a freshman. He saw his minutes increase as a sophomore and averaged 13.9 points per game. On December 7, 2017, Alston scored 22 points in a 59–55 win over

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and broke the Temple record by hitting 52 consecutive free throws. Alston averaged 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior on a team that reached the NIT. On December 12, 2018, Alston scored 31 points against

UMass The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

and hit three clinching free throws. He scored a career-high 34 points in a 78–71 win against

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

on March 7, 2019. As a senior, Alston averaged 19.7 points per game, which led the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

, and 5.0 assists per game, second highest in the league. He was named First Team All-Conference. Alston led Temple to a 23–10 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. Alston set school records by making a three-pointer in 44 consecutive games and shooting 90.8 percent from the foul line as a senior.

Professional career

Prior to the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

, Alston worked out with the hometown

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He competed for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

play and averaged 8.0 points per game. On October 19, the 76ers signed and waived Alston so they could add him to their G League affiliate, the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was founde ...

. He averaged 3.7 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game in 23 games. On March 11, 2020, Alston signed with

GTK Gliwice Gliwickie Towarzystwo Koszykówki Gliwice, shortly GTK Gliwice, is a professional basketball club based in Gliwice, Poland. The team currently plays in the first level Polish Basketball League. History The club was founded in 1998 and initially f ...

of the Polish league, but he never made an official appearance with the club. On June 13, 2020, Alston signed with

Lavrio Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός ''Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greec ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

. In May 2021, Alston signed with Belgian side

Kangoeroes Mechelen Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen, also known as Kangoeroes or Kangoeroes Mechelen, is a basketball club based in Mechelen, Belgium. Founded in 2009, the club plays in the BNXT League. Kangoeroes have been playing in the top tier division in Belgium for ...

for the 2021–22 season. On January 17, 2023, Alston signed with

of the Japanese

References

External links

Temple Owls bioTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Shizz 1996 births Living people American men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Poland Basketball players from Philadelphia Delaware Blue Coats players Haverford School alumni Point guards Lavrio B.C. players Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen players SeaHorses Mikawa players Temple Owls men's basketball players