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Arizona Basketball: Rawle Alkins impresses in Impact Basketball workout videos

By Shereen Rayan

TUCSON, AZ - DECEMBER 21: Rawle Alkins
TUCSON, AZ - DECEMBER 21: Rawle Alkins /
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Arizona Basketball guard Rawle Alkins has been working his butt off in Los Angeles with Impact Basketball.

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Arizona Basketball will not be the same next season. Each season is different, yes, but the players will create their own legacy moving forward. The Savage Life will live on in the NBA. And just to make sure, Rawle Alkins is working very hard with Impact Basketball to make sure he has the best chance in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Alkins didn’t just start working towards his goals starting in April. He’s been working at it since about a year ago when he killed it in front of NBA teams in the last NBA Combine. During the Combine broadcast, the media couldn’t stop talking about King Rawle and how he showed he could stand out playing against his peers. He gave extra that extra effort, that effort got him noticed.

NBA teams were lining up last season to take a closer look at the Wildcat. But after working out for a few teams including Rondae Hollis-Jefferson‘s team, the Brooklyn Nets (Rawle’s hometown team), he decided to head back to Tucson to work on his three-point shot as well as a few other facets of his game.

That brings us to this years NBA Draft.

Rawle moved to Los Angeles to workout with Impact Basketball trainers. He trains from 9 am-5 pm every single day. Recently Alkins posted some photo’s Cassy Athena had taken of him during one of his workouts, and it is clear to see he is toning his body and working on perfecting his dunks which he is now globally known for (poor Elijah Stewart).

Impact Basketball founder Joe Abunassar has trained NBA players such as Kyle Lowry, Kristaps Porzingis, DeMarcus Cousins, Jalen Brown, Isaiah Thomas and Serge Ibaka to name a few. Also included in their client list is former Wildcat Gilbert Arenas as well as Lance Stephenson. Alkins is compared to Stephenson often.

Abunassar’s training program includes a five-pronged approach: Nutrition, Mentality, Strength and Conditioning, Physical Therapy and Skill Development.

Two weeks ago, Alkins gave us a sneak peek at his workout. In this drill, he hit every shot, he was really feeling it, and it has to help your attitude to hit nine shots in a row from three different spots.

Just today, we got a much better look at his workout and work ethic. If you follow Alkins on social media, you will also find out that he is enjoying Los Angeles working out with former Arizona target Brandon McCoy who played one season at UNLV and other draft prospects. You can see in the video that he is working hard on ball handling and continuing to have a versatile game shooting from all over the court. But his signature dunks seem only to be getting better.

Alkins has posted “Love me before they all do” in several posts, so you can understand that he feels he has more to offer and could go higher in the draft than most project.

What could help his draft stock is when former Wildcats surprise the world. TJ McConnell scored a career-high 19 points making nine of the 12 shots he took in his first playoff start helping save his team from bowing out of the NBA Playoffs. Alkins displays a lot of the same hustle and heart as Tj. Although the two played different positions, the two players were the glue-guy/game changers for the Wildcats, and this is an important aspect of Alkins game.

Former Pac-12 players did well in the draft last year. Markelle Fultz (from Washington coached by last seasons Arizona’s Associate coach Lorenzo Romar) went No. 1. Lonzo Ball (UCLA) went No. 2, Lauri Markkanen No. 7, T.J. Leaf No. 18 and the biggest supposed surprise of all Kyle Kuzma (Utah) No. 27 to name a few. Fultz has had a very slow start in the NBA, so maybe he didn’t pan out yet. But Ball performed well considering his injury, Lauri exceeded expectations, and Kuzma killed it!

Also this season, Aaron Gordon showed he could be a star, RHJ improved, Nick Johnson won MVP of the NBA G-League Championships, Kadeem Allen, and Kobi Simmons had some news-worthy games and played in the NBA, and Chance Comanche exceeded expectations.

Frankie Visions offered this fun to watch 2018 Alkins highlight video. We agree on the possibility of Alkins going in the top 14, or at least going higher than 30 for sure as Alkins shares the ball as well as hustles for second-chance points.

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So if the NBA is taking all that into consideration, then Alkins has a great chance to go higher in the draft than expected. Especially if he brings this energy to the tryouts, and we know he plays with no fear. Impact Basketball seems to know what they are doing, and Alkins is responding. And just wait until he gets a chance to workout for teams. Bear Down King Rawle. We have your back! #SavageLife forever!

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