Arizona Basketball: A Season to Remember for Rawle Alkins
By David Rosen
Arizona Wildcats freshman Rawle Alkins’s first season with the team is complete. It’s time to recap what an amazing year he had.
Savage life! That’s the first thing you think of when you think of Rawle Alkins. What he brought to the team this year, night in and night out was incredible!
The toughness, the versatility on both sides of the court, how he carried himself on and off the court, these are all good reasons why Alkins was a key part in the Wildcats success this season. Plus, he made it so fun for fans to watch!
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After watching Alkins for the first time, he didn’t look much like an underclassman, but instead more like a junior or senior physically. The way he is built and handles himself on the court is very un-freshman-like – it’s savage like! Having a player who is in such great shape and so athletic and skilled, his versatility gave the team so many options, which was GREAT for Coach Sean Miller.
The stats in his first year were off the charts! He even started in all, but one of the 37 games the Wildcats played this year. This shows the amount of trust and confidence coach Miller had in him. Plus, Alkins averaged almost 28 minutes per game scoring in double figures in 22 out of 37 games including two double-doubles. His game-high came in the first round of the 2017 tournament against North Dakota when he scored 20 points.
That’s what I’m talking about!
| Rk | Date | Opponent | MP | FG | FG% | 2P | 2P% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-11-11 | Michigan State | 26 | 1 | .250 | 1 | .333 | 0 | .000 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 2016-11-15 | Cal State Bakersfield | 30 | 5 | .625 | 1 | .500 | 4 | .667 | 1 | .500 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | 2016-11-18 | Sacred Heart | 28 | 5 | .455 | 5 | .714 | 0 | .000 | 8 | .889 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| 4 | 2016-11-21 | Northern Colorado | 23 | 3 | .375 | 2 | .400 | 1 | .333 | 2 | .667 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 | 2016-11-24 | Santa Clara | 28 | 3 | .375 | 2 | .400 | 1 | .333 | 1 | 1.000 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | 2016-11-25 | Butler | 30 | 4 | .800 | 3 | 1.000 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7 | 2016-11-30 | Texas Southern | 34 | 6 | .750 | 5 | 1.000 | 1 | .333 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 8 | 2016-12-03 | Gonzaga | 37 | 7 | .467 | 6 | .500 | 1 | .333 | 1 | .500 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| 9 | 2016-12-06 | UC-Irvine | 26 | 3 | .333 | 1 | .200 | 2 | .500 | 6 | .667 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 10 | 2016-12-10 | Missouri | 37 | 7 | .538 | 3 | .500 | 4 | .571 | 1 | .500 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 11 | 2016-12-14 | Grand Canyon | 33 | 4 | .364 | 4 | .667 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 1.000 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | 2016-12-17 | Texas A&M | 37 | 3 | .250 | 3 | .333 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 1.000 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | 2016-12-20 | New Mexico | 31 | 5 | .455 | 4 | .500 | 1 | .333 | 2 | .500 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 14 | 2016-12-30 | University of California | 31 | 4 | .333 | 4 | .333 | 0 | 2 | .400 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| 15 | 2017-01-01 | Stanford | 29 | 4 | .571 | 1 | .333 | 3 | .750 | 8 | 1.000 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| 16 | 2017-01-05 | Utah | 32 | 3 | .273 | 2 | .333 | 1 | .200 | 2 | .667 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 17 | 2017-01-07 | Colorado | 32 | 3 | .333 | 2 | .400 | 1 | .250 | 3 | .750 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 18 | 2017-01-12 | Arizona State | 31 | 2 | .250 | 2 | .400 | 0 | .000 | 1 | .500 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 19 | 2017-01-19 | USC | 31 | 3 | .273 | 0 | .000 | 3 | .500 | 5 | .833 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 20 | 2017-01-21 | UCLA | 17 | 3 | .600 | 2 | .667 | 1 | .500 | 3 | .750 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 21 | 2017-01-26 | Washington State | 24 | 4 | .571 | 2 | .667 | 2 | .500 | 2 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 22 | 2017-01-29 | Washington | 29 | 2 | .333 | 0 | .000 | 2 | .400 | 2 | 1.000 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 23 | 2017-02-02 | Oregon State | 25 | 4 | .444 | 4 | .800 | 0 | .000 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 24 | 2017-02-04 | Oregon | 28 | 7 | .636 | 5 | .625 | 2 | .667 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | |
| 25 | 2017-02-08 | Stanford | 19 | 5 | .625 | 3 | .750 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 26 | 2017-02-11 | University of California | 23 | 2 | .333 | 2 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1.000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | 2017-02-16 | Washington State | 29 | 5 | .556 | 3 | .500 | 2 | .667 | 1 | .500 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 28 | 2017-02-18 | Washington | 26 | 1 | .167 | 1 | .250 | 0 | .000 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 29 | 2017-02-23 | USC | 17 | 5 | 1.000 | 3 | 1.000 | 2 | 1.000 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| 30 | 2017-02-25 | UCLA | 19 | 2 | .400 | 2 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 31 | 2017-03-04 | Arizona State | 26 | 4 | .444 | 4 | .571 | 0 | .000 | 3 | .500 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 32 | 2017-03-09 | Colorado | 27 | 5 | .625 | 2 | .500 | 3 | .750 | 2 | 1.000 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 33 | 2017-03-10 | UCLA | 27 | 3 | .750 | 2 | 1.000 | 1 | .500 | 1 | .500 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 34 | 2017-03-11 | Oregon | 28 | 3 | .375 | 2 | .500 | 1 | .250 | 2 | 1.000 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 35 | 2017-03-16 | North Dakota | 29 | 8 | 1.000 | 6 | 1.000 | 2 | 1.000 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| 36 | 2017-03-18 | Saint Mary’s (CA) | 27 | 3 | .429 | 3 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 37 | 2017-03-23 | Xavier | 31 | 2 | .286 | 2 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 37 Games | 1037 | 143 | .463 | 99 | .521 | 44 | .370 | 74 | .733 | 183 | 76 | 33 | 17 | 404 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/3/2017.
Besides his stats, it was the passion and energy that he brought to the team that stands out more than anything:
Rawle Alkins roars after a breakaway jam. #ArizonaWildcats up 53-37 over North Dakota at halftime. pic.twitter.com/t21PCSjwNY
— Mike Christy (@wildcatphotog) March 17, 2017
Another character trait he embodied was his toughness. During the round of 32 against St. Mary’s, he persevered like a warrior after dislocating his finger in the first half. He ended up coming back in the game and finished with six points and two rebounds. It was his presence on the court, that cannot be counted as a stat. I feel it was it is ultimately what made the difference in the Wildcats’ victory.
'Tough guy' Rawle Alkins gave Arizona Wildcats instant boost upon return https://t.co/MTU6rqKCC4 pic.twitter.com/OgvTvGsZv8
— Arizona Daily Star (@TucsonStar) March 19, 2017
The 2016-17 season brought many memorable moments from of the “King of the City” (of Alkins nicknames), which included some Sportscenter Top 10 plays as well. Here are a few to enjoy:
Alkins showed off his dunk capabilities – WOW!
Rawle Alkins is out here trying to tear down rims. https://t.co/8bal396oni
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 13, 2017
Alkins doing his version of the “J.J. Taylor” spin move to the bucket – that was just sick!
Rawle Alkins puts Isaac Hamilton in a spin cycle pic.twitter.com/QwmTtKY0dk
— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) March 11, 2017
Alkins did it on both ends of the court – defense was key!
https://twitter.com/LeadingNCAA/status/842573003044995072
Must Read: More on Rawle Alkins..
As this year comes to a close, Zona Zealots wants thank Alkins for providing Wildcat fans something to be proud of. We hope for another year of Savage Life and many more exciting moments from Alkins. BEAR DOWN RAWLE! Thank you for all the memories this season.