Senior guard Juleean Alias looks up towards the Antelope Hall of Fame banner and sees all the names listed from their years.
Kai Tease, who went on to play collegiate basketball for Howard and later the Academy of Art. Mister Harriel, a section champion on the hardwood but an even better football player who was a Preseason All-American during his time at Sacramento State.
Alias hopes his name is one day hanging in the rafters, the one the next generations rolling through the beautiful Antelope gymnasium take a glance at.
“Just like even when I get older, I just want to come back and see my name up on there and leave a stamp on the books,” Alias said.
Years ago, Alias’ mother set the tone on this journey, telling him to get out of bed and get to work.
She told him to go outside and then a basketball was placed in his hands. They later connected with a trainer to work with Alias and develop his game, potentially into one day a star level. And maybe, as Alias dreams now, of a Hall of Fame honor at Antelope.
In those early moments, that’s when the drive kicked in that Alias was working towards something special.
“It’s always fun to play basketball when you’re good,” Alias said. “It’s always fun when you’re winning and doing good. That just gives me that motivation, too.”
At Antelope, Alias has surely won a ton of ballgames and forging a path to the magic he covets.
Last winter, it was a 19-win campaign, which followed up 23 victories the year prior. His junior year, Alias averaged 12.4 points on 46% shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals – all the statistics indicative of what he brings to the table.
“My biggest strengths is that I’m quick and my passing IQ is above average,” Alias said. “I just feel like once you give me a shot, once I’m on, it’s kind of hard to knock me off my feet.”
But Alias vowed to get stronger as both a finisher at the basket and in the weight room.
“Just when somebody tries to bump me, I’m bumping them,” Alias said. “When they try to bump me, I’m bumping them. Going up strong, making the layups. I’m not fading away. I’m going straight to the rim.”
When opponents try to bump past Alias when he;s a defender, it’s one of the more daunting tasks, although Alias is more than humble about his defensive prowess.
Head coach Mike Dresser tabs him among the top defenders, if not the best, on the entire roster. Alias takes a ton of pride in that aspect of the game but said he could develop more pride in there – the core of who he is, always chasing more, never quite satisfied with what he’s accomplished thus far.
Pick pocketing is especially the strength of Alias’ defense with the more than two steals per game he posted this past season.
“It’s just really a guessing game,” Alias said. “It’s always about timing because if you mess up on the timing, the refs are definitely going to call that as a foul. Just reading the man. So last year I would always study who I’m guarding because I was always getting scouting reports. I would always watch film and see what three moves he had. Just poured that into the game.”
Active and energetic, Alias is eager to write another chapter in his story. Not just for himself, hoping to get in the Hall of Fame and first team all-league.
But also Antelope, as he and multiple players expressed a desire and confidence to make a deeper playoff push in 2023-24.
“Just playing my game and playing on the big stage,” Alias said. “Just performing in front of big people so they acknowledge.”
