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Former NBA star Rafer Alston hired at Lutheran South Academy

oROP70N2_400x400 (1)by:Aaron Dickens•07/10/25•

AaronDickens

Houston point guard Rafer Alston brings the ball up court during the game against the Clippers
Houston point guard Rafer Alston brings the ball up court during the game against the Clippers. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY via Imgn)

Rafer Alston is returning to Houston. The former Rockets starting point guard was named the new head boy’s basketball coach for the Lutheran South Academy Pioneers on Wednesday.

“Coach Alston is known for his tremendous playing career including a 5 year stint with the Houston Rockets,” LSA said on X. ” He is excited to take the reins of the LSA Boys Basketball program!”

Alston grew up in New York City and emerged as one of the first streetball celebrities, gaining enough notoriety for his whimsical style of play that he was nicknamed “Skip 2 My Lou.” That success translated into a lengthy professional career that saw Alston play for six NBA teams from 1999 to 2010. His most productive years were during his three and a half seasons with Houston where he served as the team’s starting point guard.

During his 11 seasons in the league, Alston played in 727 games in the regular season and playoffs. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.

While Alston has been involved with basketball at the highest level for most of his life, this represents the biggest step forward in his coaching career. He briefly led the Christian Life Academy boys basketball program, has worked as an assistant at Fort Bend Christian Academy and most recently coached the COOZ Elite 3 AAU team.

Alston’s son, Reese, is a top prospect in the 2027 class that played for Second Baptist, a Lutheran South district rival, last season. The four-star standout holds offers from Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, among others.

About Lutheran South Academy

Lutheran South Academy is a private K-12 school located in Southeast Houston. The Pioneers compete in TAPPS 5A District 4 against Second Baptist, Fort Bend Christian Academy, Emery/Weiner, Logos Prep Academy and Bay Area Christian.

Alston inherits a boys basketball program that is coming off of a disappointing 6-16 campaign in 2024-25. The Pioneers struggled to build any momentum during the season, failing to win consecutive games, and finished fourth in the district standings. This setback was the school’s first losing season since the 2020-21 squad went 7-14.