Mission Completed, Ale Turns Focus Back To Basketball
By Jack Danilewicz
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While on a Mormon mission from December 2007 to December 2009, BYUH’s Junior Ale’s mind was far from the game he loves as he concentrated on sharing the gospel. That is, until he would pass a park.
“I’d see guys playing basketball in the summer, and sometimes I’d ask them if I could play,” he said.“I was in a shirt and tie, and I had my Steve Madden (dress) shoes on. They looked at my shoes, and they were like, ‘Are you kidding?’ I told them my colleague and I would play them and if we win, we’ll sit down and talk (about religion).”
Even in a shirt and tie and those shoes, Ale discovered he could still roll on a basketball court. “We won 11-3,” he said, exhibiting his infectious laugh. “I was sweating like heck. I had to go home and change my shirt.”
Ale’s transition back to school and the basketball court hasn’t always been easy, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It was a great experience to go and talk to people about something dear to me, which is the Lord,” he said of his mission, which was spent in Independence, Mo.“I enjoyed every bit of it, and it helped me to crack my shell.”
Ale concluded his mission with work well done. His days invariably found him spending 12 hours seeking and tending to appointments. Before setting out at 10 a.m., he’d get up at 6:30 and spend two hours reading the scriptures. The closest thing to a day off was on Mondays, when “we’d do our laundry and clean our apartments.”
Ale’s schedule is more his own now, but the demands of playing big-time college basketball and taking classes at BYUH ensure that the work ethic he refined on the Mainland remains intact.
“When I first came back, it was kind of awkward,” he admitted. “I’d spent two years sharing the gospel and was so used to a routine that it was hard to adjust. I’d spent two years thinking of other people. Now, you have to think of yourself.”
That has changed slightly as well. On Aug. 13, he flew to New Zealand and married longtime girlfriend Jana. The young couple lives in married housing at BYUH, where Ale is a sophomore, both academically and eligibility-wise.
He returned to college to find almost an entirely new team, joining the Seasiders last November as a “grey shirt"and practicing with the team, although he didn’t appear in games.
“The only one still here other than coach (Ken Wagner) was Lucas (Alves),” says Ale.“Conditioning was hard. I’d never been so out of shape. The skills were still there, but I didn’t have my offense yet, so I made sure I played defense.”
His coming-out party was Nov. 16 when he hit five 3-pointers and scored 24 points to lead 24th-ranked BYUH to an 87-83 overtime victory against host Cal State-San Bernardino.
“I really needed that,” he said.“It was good for me and my teammates. I’d been losing some confidence, and it was an eye-opener for my teammates. They know they can trust me now.”
His acceptance is apparent as he’s now a captain along with Rory Patterson and Marques Whippy.
The plan is also for Ale to move to point guard, which he often played in high school when he starred for Kahuku.
“It takes a lot (to play the point) at the college level, but I’m learning a lot,” he said. “(Former BYUH point guard) Paul Peterson, who’s playing professionally (in Germany), has been back finishing up his degree, and he’s been helping me.”
BYUH was to play a pair of home games last weekend against Oakland City (Ind.) and is back in California this week, preparing for Thursday’s game at Long Beach State. The Seasiders’ next appearance at Cannon Activities Center is Dec. 9 against UH-Hilo as part of the Hawaii Division II Tournament. It plays either Hawaii Pacific or Chaminade the following night.
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