Because there are so few of them, the seniors on Sedona Red Rock High School’s boys basketball team shoulder a heavy responsibility. They have to be leaders on the court and mentors for the younger players. One of those seniors is Frankie Alves.
Unlike other seniors, Alves is not a particularly vocal player. He is, however, someone that the younger players on the team look up to.
“He’s a little quieter, but also a leader,” junior Carlos Parra Landaverde said. “Younger kids look up to him and respect him. He’s quiet but he’s an outstanding player.”
Alves is not new to the team but his role has changed from past seasons. A season ago, current coach George Gleason noted that Alves’ effort would sometimes vary, knowing that he wasn’t always a guy that the team ran through. When Gleason took over the program this year, he challenged Alves to take on a bigger role.
“I’ve asked him to do a lot more this year and he’s stepped up to do it,” Gleason said. “He’s not used to being the focal point. But he’s getting there and understanding that he’s going to have to be the second scorer or third scorer for us to be successful.”
Aside from taking on more responsibility on the floor, one of Alves’ jobs is helping his younger teammates get better. That’s a role he’s taken very seriously, though it is a departure from his normal personality.
Teammate Jaiah Grondin called Alves a “great kid and really funny.” Alves concurred, identifying himself as a “friendly and chill person.”
When he’s in practice — especially against the younger players — that attitude changes.
“I want to get the younger kids a lot better so I go friggin’ hard against them,” Alves said. “Just so when they go against people that aren’t as good, they can destroy them. So I go really hard on them, for sure.”
Away from basketball, Alves has gotten into modeling. That stems from a modeling company reaching out to him on Instagram. As such, he labels himself a “low-key Instagram model.”
Following graduation in the spring, Alves plans on attending either Grand Canyon University or Arizona State University, though he’s not sure what he’ll do after that. Whatever Alves does, though, his teammates hope that the legacy he leaves with the Scorpions is a good one.
“He’s a good guy and a good team player,” junior Joey Johnson said. “I’m going to miss playing with him, for sure.”
“He’s one of the most respectful dudes around; he teaches you respect and I think that’s what you need in life,” Parra Landaverde said. “I think Frankie is going to take it as, us young kids are going to bring this program that we are building up. Hopefully someday he’ll say, ‘I was one of the first people to build it and start it and now it’s a great system.’”
What’s next: Alves and the Scorpions will return to the floor on Saturday, Jan. 4 for a road game against Page. That game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
The next two games will be at home. On Friday, Jan. 10, Sedona will host rival Camp Verde for a 7 p.m. game. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Scorpions will again be at home when they take on Glendale Prep at 7:30 p.m.
