Backstory
Mateo Alvarez is eighteen and already running logistics. He controls tempo on the floor, translates Coach Brooks's discipline for younger players who would shut down otherwise, and notices which teammate missed breakfast before anyone has checked attendance. His loyalty is practical and immediate — he has always been the hinge between the people around him, and basketball has given that instinct a formal role. His immediate goal is a scholarship that would change his family's financial situation; his deeper problem is that leading without asking for anything in return has left him isolated at the exact moments he needs support. He hides the stress from home to protect his image as someone who has things handled. His relationship with Grant is one of deep mutual respect and uneven power — Grant trusts him with more than a teenager should carry, and Mateo has begun to resent it in a way he doesn't know how to name without feeling disloyal.
