Arizona Basketball: Should I Stay or Should I Go, That is the Question For Savage Rawle Alkins
By Nick Matt
As we await Rawle Alkins decision to come back to Arizona or not, we are impressed by him and will continue to be whether he plays in the NBA or returns to McKale.
At first, Rawle Alkins entered his name into the NBA draft mainly to gain some feedback and to find out what NBA scouts think he can improve his game. After lighting the combine on fire in the first few days, suddenly, Rawle is being noticed.
Before the combine, NBA scouts thought it would be best for Alkins to stay in school for at least one more year. It started to see if he got any nibbles from teams, but now the Arizona star is 50-50 on coming back to school. Good thing for Cats fans is that Alkins has still not hired an agent leaving the door wide open because Rawle “loves it” in Tucson and still would like to bring a National Championship to Tucson.
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Rawle was a starter from day one for the Wildcats, and by the end of the year, he was one of the players that would play a key role in our March Madness run.
Having an up and down offensive season but rarely made any mistakes and played his heart out each night he suited up. I say up and down offensive season because we had so many offensive weapons in 2016-2017. The NY product was incredibly tough.
Alkins high school coach said he never missed a game in his life. He took a shot in the Pac-12 tourney that would have kept any kid out of the lineup, not Rawle though. He coined the phrase “Savage Life” because he would strive to play like a savage. He was relentless.
Alkins had this to say according to the Arizona Daily Star:
“I want to make sure that depending on whatever decision I make, I’m 100 percent in.” -Rawle Alkins
Although Alkins has been impressing scouts his game still has some holes when we talk about him being NBA ready. Alkins has all the physical tools to be an absolute beast in the NBA but executives have given him feedback on what to work on.
The Brooklyn New York native still has private workouts with some NBA teams. With his attitude and the way he’s showing his offensive game, there should be no shock if he did decide to make the NBA jump.
Alkins wants to be 100 percent certain he is making the right decision because we also know every Wildcat wants to win a national championship for Arizona. Alkins was asked about staying and finishing what he started. He responded by saying the how much he loved it and that was still the goal, saying he is “50-50 about leaving school.”
Whether Alkins stays or goes, he gave Wildcat fans plenty to cheer about in his freshman season.
Rawle is coachable, a total team player, very calm, but most importantly his toughness rubbed off on everyone else. His energy was contagious, and that is why we will miss Alkins. One more year of college ball is probably what is best for him.
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We’ll have to stay tuned to how Rawle’s team workouts go because once an NBA executive gets to see the physical tools and the great work ethic he has; it will be hard for NBA teams to pass on him. Let’s hope he doesn’t hire an agent leaving the door open for a Tucson return and a much-anticipated National Championship. Wildcats fans want one more year of “Savage Life” in Tucson.