Prospect Profile: Andrew Alia
If you’re sick of me spewing praise about Wisconsin Playground and their prospects, sorry, but one of the program’s top guards is up next in our series of player profiles. As a freshman on varsity last season, Andrew Alia mustered…
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Continue ReadingIf you’re sick of me spewing praise about Wisconsin Playground and their prospects, sorry, but one of the program’s top guards is up next in our series of player profiles.
As a freshman on varsity last season, Andrew Alia mustered up 15.7 points per outing. Very little production was from beyond the arc, which is, in all truthfulness, a good thing. Alia’s playstyle was geared towards driving to the rim, and his attacking made him stand out among the majority of Wisconsin’s freshman last season.
Scouts have doted on his ability to find rhythm and success in his first year on varsity, as he’s clearly ahead of his grade skill-wise and with his physicality (he’s listed at 6’2” but has grown vertically and in muscle mass). That said, Alia wasn’t all artwork last year.
There were some flaws in year-one, mainly regarding his scoring consistency. His growing pains were magnified because of how often he had the ball in his hands, as his scoring numbers ended up being rangy. Some nights he scored in the mid-twenties (5 games), others were single digits (6 games). In an interview with the guard, it was one of his goals to clean that up, as he hopes he can, “…play more consistent to the ability coaches and teammates know I have.”
Alia is also more of a defender than people give him credit for. His arms are perfect for whacking shot attempts and his explosiveness is ideal for shooting gaps. He averaged 1.4 steals and .3 blocks per game last season, which was more than productive for a freshman guard.
A lot of his athletic prowess comes from his devotion to three sports and a grassroots season. We’ve seen diverse interests (and thus diverse workouts and athletic abilities) help players uphold their physical status on the floor. “I also play football and soccer (and am on varsity for both),” said Alia. “I’m not on the court as much as I would like to be. This doesn’t stop me though from working out daily. Right now I’m really focusing on increasing my vertical and putting on muscle mass. Weekly I usually get on the court 3-5 days a week and really just focus on knocking down shots while keeping my shot in one motion. I’m usually on the court for two hours each time and in the weight room 1-1.5 hours each time.”
This season, though, the focus is team-oriented. After going 8-16 last season, Alia aims for top-placements in the Metro Classic, as he stated, “This season my goal is to lead my team to the State tournament…Lastly, as a team, I want to finish top-three in the conference.”
Overall, Belmont and other division one and division two schools have taken interest in the guard for a reason. Lots of guys show flashes when they’re young, many ride high-potential without much output, but Alia is already producing big numbers. He’s pacing his team in scoring while balancing two other sports on one cramped plate.
Alia’s development will be a must-see-storyline considering he’s already found so much success at an early stage in his career