Player Capsules: Alejandro Rama
Season Summary
As a junior Alejandro Rama led the Crusaders to a fifth-place finish at the state tournament this past season in Rapid City.
He directed an offense that averaged 74.6 a game. He wasn’t just a viable scoring option for the Crusaders, but also was the team’s best distributor with about 4 assists a game.
At six-foot-one he was second on the team in rebounding with 6 a game behind Louis Her Many Horses 8 boards a game. Aside from being the leading scorer on offense, Rama was one of the team’s best perimeter defenders. His quick hands and reliable man-to-man defense helped him lead the team with about 3 steals a game. He was usually given the matchup of the opponent’s best player and often made them work for every shot.
Most team’s made it a struggle for Rama to even to get the ball, often times being double teamed and faced guarded. With all the hassle the opponents were giving him he was still able to shoot at an efficient rate from the field at a near 50 percent clip.
His ability to shoot from deep made it hard for opponents to sag off to help on his drives. When they did get up on him he was very good at getting to the basket and drawing a foul. He was 72 percent from the charity stripe this past season which ranked him as one of the most reliable free throw shooters on the team.
At the state tournament in Rapid City, he put up big numbers in their victory against Crow Creek. He recorded a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. For the tournament, he averaged 18.67 points, 3 assists, and 6 boards.
He was on the All-Tournament team for his performance at the state tournament.
Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
By The Numbers
3.67: Steals he averaged in Rapid City in the three games. That led all players in the state tournament.
22.4: Points he averaged over the season. He led the team in scoring during the season and at the state tournament.
26: Games he played in this season. Which was a big deal for him after sitting out most his sophomore season with an injury.
Whats Next
With three starters returning next season, Rama looks to lead his team back to the state tournament in his senior season. He hopes to work on handling the pressure opposing teams put on him and work on rubbing off the screen so he can have a better shot coming off screens.
For the summer, Rama plans on playing with the Black Hills Basketball Academy which was started up by Alan Bertram.