IGNACIO – Ask anyone who knows Alex Herrera, and they’ll tell you what a nice guy he is. Ask his opponents, and they’ll tell you he strikes fear into them.
The 6-9, 255-pound senior center for the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team is a nightmare for any opposing player who has seen one of their shots returned by the second-team All-American and two-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Herrera, arguably the best center in Division II college basketball, broke the Skyhawks’ career blocked shots record of 208 on Friday night in his hometown of Ignacio, while FLC played a special season-opening tournament at the SunUte Community Center. The previous mark of 208 was set by Rich Hillyer, a Bayfield native who set the record during his career that ranged from 1985 to 1989.
Herrera knew the record would come when he drew within one block of tying the mark at the end of last season. He was in no rush to break the record, while staying focused on earning a meaningful win, though doing it at home in Ignacio provided a moment he and the hometown fans never will forget.
“I was anxious to get the season going, but I was not thinking about the record or anything,” Herrera said Friday night. “It didn’t really hit me until we got here.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure on getting (the record) in the first place, but it is a great accomplishment, looking back at it,” Herrera said Saturday after having a night to digest his feat. “It’s sunk in more, and I feel great about it.”
It was a moment Herrera never imagined growing up in a small town of just more than 700 people. Even his high school coach, Chris Valdez, was unsure if Herrera could make it on the college level, but he saw the motivation and work ethic grow as fast as Herrera’s height.
“What a great thing for Alex to do in his hometown, to break that block record in a place he worked out every day,” Valdez said. “Not in a million years did I think there would be a college game in Ignacio with Alex doing that. It’s something special for him and the whole town.”
Herrera’s parents, Chris and Kathy Herrera, sat anxiously in the stands across from the FLC bench. With their son just two blocks away from breaking the record, the idea of it happening back in their small town was surreal.
“It couldn’t of been a better place for it to happen. Everybody in the stands who have known him since he was a little kid waiting and watching,” Kathy Herrera said. “There was a lot of excitement coming into the game and people talking about coming and supporting and seeing a college game in our little old town.”
Herrera and the tournament made big waves in Ignacio, including among the Southern Ute Tribe. A drum circle greeted the team before the 70-57 victory against St. Mary’s, and one particular member of the tribal council was more than excited to see Herrera break Hillyer’s block record.
“It’s very sweet. I played against Rich Hillyer in high school when I was at Ignacio and he was at Bayfield, and I know how it was for Rich to block my shots,” said Alex Cloud, a member of the Southern Ute Tribal Council. “Rich had that record for so may years. For one of our own to break that record is something neat.”
FLC head coach Bob Hofman has been around long enough to recruit both Herrera and Hillyer. Though Herrera is the program’s first All-American, Hofman said Hillyer was equally deserving of the accolade.
Hofman credited associate head coach Bob Pietrack for much of Herrera’s development over the years, and the head coach acknowledged there is something special about the player affectionately known as “Chief” to his teammates.
“I’m as proud of Alex as any player I’ve ever coached. With the extra help of coach Pietrack, I think Alex really, really grew into a man,” Hofman said. “When anybody asks us, I tell them we’ve got a great player. I’ve never really talked about individuals over team, but Alex is a very special player.
“It’s great for Ignacio. Think about it, who is Ignacio’s biggest rival? It’s Bayfield, and that’s where Rich went. The whole thing is a big triangle of coincidence, and I think it’s pretty neat.”
Herrera played his freshman season alongside star guard DeAndre Lansdowne, the FLC career leader in field goals, free throws and points. Lansdowne said he saw Herrera’s ability right away and knew he could join him among the career leaders at FLC.
“He’s an All-American, and that was something we thought he had the potential to be,” Lansdowne said after this year’s alumni game. “He has all the great defensive-player accolades. It’s good to see someone do so well for Fort Lewis and be on the map.”
Herrera’s development from the time he was first recruited as a lanky high school kid to the start of his senior season can’t be understated. He spent the summer between his sophomore and junior years living with FLC teammate Cade Kloster, whose father is the head coach at Longmont High School.
“Alex went up there and worked with Jeff, a 28-year coach at Longmont. Alex ate them out of house and home, but it was a great experience for him,” Hofman said. “It really helped Alex grow into the player he’s become.”
Herrera then spent the summer between his junior and senior seasons playing in a league in Australia with FLC redshirt freshman guard Rasmus Bach. That taste of international play helped fuel Herrera’s desire to extend his playing career beyond his days at FLC.
“It was a great opportunity. The coaches saw me down there in the top developmental league,” Herrera said. “I’m looking forward to after this year, but I know this year still comes first.”
Herrera never plays outside himself, but his increased confidence was clear Saturday night against St. Mary’s. In the second half, he collected a pass in the post and had one man to get around to get to the rim. In a spot where even a year ago Herrera might have kicked a pass out to the perimeter, he instead lowered his shoulders, put the ball on the ground once and exploded to the rim for an emphatic dunk, making the defender look powerless.
His record-setting block showed his discipline, too. St. Mary’s guard JJ Bolton was one-on-one with Herrera at the edge of the lane, and he opted a fade-away jumper instead of taking Herrera on. Instead of lunging out at Bolton, Herrera simply put his hands up and swatted the shot back.
“I just stood my ground. I didn’t want to jump into him. I went straight up, just like the coaches teach me,” Herrera said. “It’s being fundamental.”
Herrera’s family, fans and friends in Ignacio know it won’t be so easy to see Herrera play after this season, unless they book a flight overseas. For now, they’ll cherish every minute they get to see him play this year at Whalen Gymnasium.
“To sit here and watch him play at home and see how much he’s grown, it’s very special for everyone,” his dad, Chris Herrera, said. “He’s improved so much and worked so hard.”
No matter where he goes, one thing is certain: He has inspired a generation of young players in Ignacio who now believe they can make it big just like their favorite big man.
“Coming from such a small town and being able to do the things I’ve done and inspire kids, there is a great feeling,” Herrera said. “I want to let them know they can accomplish anything by never being satisfied.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
