Varina 2022 guard Alphonzo Billups listed his six finalists of LSU, NC State, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and VCU on Sunday afternoon.
Rated No. 117 overall in the Class of 2022 and a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Billups is very intriguing to schools at the next level with his long, skinny frame at 6-foot-7, 170 pounds. Besides being a high riser and ultra athletic, his skill level can be considered sneaky good as he's a better passer than the common observer may realize. While not a dead-eye shooter, the Richmond area talent has become more proficient on his attempts from medium to long distance.
What has perhaps impressed most about Billups in watching him with both Varina and Team Loaded on the AAU travel circuit is how dynamic he is in transition, displaying excellent vision to go along with his top-notch athleticism that enables him to be a consistent finisher as well as playmaker.
Earlier this summer, Billups took an official visit to West Virginia on June 12th and an unofficial to Pittsburgh - just an hour and 45 minutes away. One of Pitt's assistants is Milan Brown, a Hampton native and Kecoughtan High grad. Brown, who previously has been a Head Coach at both Holy Cross and Mount St. Mary's, has been his primary recruiter.
Ten days later following the unofficial to Pitt, he took in an official visit to Raleigh to check out NC State, an Adidas school with plenty of connections around the Commonwealth and to Team Loaded. The Pack, aforementioned Panthers and Rams of VCU have been viewed by many as the presumed favorites for him.
During his sophomore campaign in 2019-20 as Varina made its fifth consecutive State Tournament appearance at the Class 5 level, Billups averaged just over 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game on a squad that went 19-5 overall. In the 12th Annual VaPreps Classic held at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, he helped the Blue Devils erase a seven-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter against Lake Taylor and prevail 60-57 behind his 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, 6-for-10 at the foul line, five steals, four rebounds and three assists while playing 31 out of a possible 32 minutes. He was chosen as the game's MVP.
Billups did not get to play during the 2020-21 campaign for Varina due to Henrico County Public Schools opting out of winter sports because of concerns stemming from the coronavirus. However, he did contribute significantly on the grassroots scene this spring and summer on a stacked Team Loaded squad that featured other nationally-ranked prospects such as Illinois commit Jayden Epps, Tyler Nickel, Maliq Brown and Donald Hand Jr.
