PUEBLO – It’s easy to look up to Alex Herrera.
He’s a 6-10 junior center for the Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team.
But there are other reasons that go beyond the big man’s size:
Herrera led Ignacio High School to back-to-back state championship games his junior and senior seasons in 2009 and 2010, both as an all-state selection.
He set state records for most blocks in a season, most blocks in a game and most blocks in a state playoff game.
He’s the two-time defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
He was the Skyhawks’ first-ever National Association of Basketball Coaches All-South Central District first-team honoree after his sophomore season.
On Thursday, Herrera was named to the Daktronics (voted on by the region’s sports information directors) All-South Central Region team.
Herrera set both the FLC and RMAC single-season blocks record with 97 this year. (He broke his own school record he set his first year as a starter last season.)
Herrera is one block shy of setting the FLC record for blocked shots.
Even though he hasn’t played for the Bobcats in three years, Hererra still spends time with the team when he can. He made the trip up to Pueblo on Thursday to watch IHS defeat Sedgwick County 49-33 in the quarterfinal round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Boys Basketball State Championships.
“Coming from a small town, there’s a lot of community support,” Herrera said. “Growing up there, it’s like a second family to me.”
Herrera does have some actual family on the team, too. His younger brother, Nick, is a sophomore reserve forward that has made some blocks this season that would make his big brother proud.
But it’s also about giving back to a program that helped him get to where he is today.
“He’s a great kid. He got to play at the next level, and he’s doing great things there,” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said. “For our kids to see him there supporting our kids and his little brother, it means something to our team, it means something to our fans and our community that he’s such a great athlete and he takes the time out to come and see us play.”
Herrera also provides an example for current IHS players.
“It’s inspirational knowing that someone like him can make it into college basketball,” said IHS forward Adison Jones, son of Greg Jones and Latisha Taylor. “It gives us hope knowing we can make it into college.”
Herrera, the son of Chris and Kathy Herrera, will be back to watch the Bobcats take on No. 4 Sanford at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Massari Arena in Pueblo, providing a presence if the IHS players need to look up into the stands for inspiration.
“It’s great to be a role model like that, to have kids look up to you feels great,” Herrera said.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
