Arizona Basketball guard Rawle Alkins hit the NBA Pre-Draft Combine with a huge splash, and people are talking!
“He’s not ready,” they said, “He’s not tall enough,” they said, “He needs to come back to school,” they said. Yeah, well maybe he does need to go back to school, but that’s up Rawle Alkins to decide. He pretty much swept the floor with the rest of the draftees he played with today, so that’s one thing to consider. Sean Miller has to be smiling right now, even if it hurts.
Rawle Alkins looks like the best player on the floor right now and it isn't all that close
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 11, 2017
Alkins may even be changing some people’s minds about their original thoughts. Like Ari Alexander, Sports Anchor/Reporter KVOA News 4 Tucson.
After today I'm not sure. He was the best player on the floor in 5 on 5, measured a great wingspan, and tested well in athletic drills.
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) May 12, 2017
Hmm, that ESPN expert, what was his name? Oh yeah, ESPN Jeff Goodman! He wrote that one NBA Executives of “Every single NBA Executive interviewed” said, “I love how hard he plays, but he doesn’t really have a position.” How many Executives did he interview? He didn’t get back to us, but that doesn’t matter, what matters is how Alkins responded.
"I feel like I played confident and proved that being 'positionless' is a positive thing" @Iam_RawleAlkins #NBACombine #SavageLife #BearDown pic.twitter.com/lRiFq1wcUB
— ZonaZealotsFS (@ZonaZealots) May 12, 2017
Alkins performance even got former UCLA Bruin Lonzo Ball to take notice!
S/O to the fam @Iam_RawleAlkins bro was doing his thing out there today 👌🏽
— Lonzo Ball (@ZO2_) May 12, 2017
Alkins scored more points than any player on the floor in the first scrimmage game. He scored 18 points (two for five from three) making 70 percent of his field goals, grabbed five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Alkins plus/minus was a +10 best on his team, in 21:19 minutes.
Rawle Alkins had 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting in first combine game. Allen 5 pts, 3 assists. Box score: pic.twitter.com/FIH0QAGtm0
— Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) May 11, 2017
Arizona Daily Star Basketball guru Bruce Pascoe got a chance to catch up with Alkins to see how it’s going. He found out where Alkins was on his possible return to Arizona, given that he performed so well during the scrimmage.
“I’m considering coming back to school 100 percent, and I’m considering entering the draft 100 percent, so it’s 50/50,” explained Rawle. Asked what the pros of going back to school would be, Alkins answered, “There’s too many.”
As far as a top performer day one? Yes, that was Alkins among three other Pac-12 players in the top ten.
But why should we speculate? Maybe we should just relax and review what the Twitter-verse had to say about our Wildcat today. Here’s more Twitter reaction:
@ZonaZealots @Iam_RawleAlkins with the put back! Coach Miller would be proud 🐻👇💯 #NBACombine pic.twitter.com/Unz2bQKhmV
— David Rosen (@sciguyrosen) May 12, 2017
18 points for @Iam_RawleAlkins at the combine, drawing comparisons to Lance Stephenson from the ESPN Crew. I think he'll be way better.
— Ashley Nevel (@AshleyNevel) May 11, 2017
Rawle Alkins @Iam_RawleAlkins @APlayersProgram #NBACombine #NYCBasketball pic.twitter.com/NvxMoKkZsh
— Stacey Davis (@NYCHoopsnball) May 11, 2017
Some nice moments for Rawle Alkins. A load going to the rim, not shying away from contact, can play PnR and make a spot three.
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 11, 2017
18 points in the 5-on-5 portion of the NBA Combine for Rawle Alkins pic.twitter.com/r0mmtVlVlF
— Matt Moreno (@MattRMoreno) May 11, 2017
Rawle Alkins says it's "50-50" he returns to Arizona or stays in draft
— Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) May 11, 2017
As a Wildcat fan, it’s a hard road to travel seeing players you fall in love with move on. So even the thought of it is heartbreaking to the player as well as the fans and coaches.
You want the best for these young men, but you also want more time to relish in their glory. We all wish we were still in college, that time never comes around again in quite the same way once you leave.
If anyone has their head on straight in this whole process, it is Alkins. High School recruits should heed his advice, which sounds a lot like Arizona QB Khalil Tate, why worry about the competition? Just go out there and do your thing!
Must Read: More Rawle Alkins from ZZ....
Whether he stays or goes, he will always be our Wildcat for life. Again, he will make a good decision. He is taking his time and relishing the moment. Good for him!