Europe is Wildcat Country! Arizona Basketball alum Parker Jackson-Cartwright made a splash in Germany last season, now his teammate Rawle Alkins joins him in the German BBL.
Rawle Alkins just signed a season contract to play for the Jobstair Giessen 46ers in Gießen (40 minutes north of Frankfort), Germany. He originally signed on for a tryout contract, and then has spent the last three weeks impressing his coaches and management.
As earlier reported, King Rawle gave the Ukraine team, Dnipro, a shot, but it wasn’t quite a match. The Giessen team is a much much better fit for him and what he brings to the court. Ironically, former UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton left the Giessen 46ers to play for the SK Cherkasy Monkeys in Ukraine.
“The first three weeks of working with Rawle have shown that he is a special player with a strong character who suits us very well and helps us further. He is young, extremely talented, and plays very physically,” said Sebastian Schmidt (Sports Director JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers).
Aus Try-Out- wird Saisonvertrag – Rawle Alkins manifestiert sich im 46ers-Kader https://t.co/c36TUO3BdX pic.twitter.com/q0VHoFiHLX
— JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (@GIESSEN46ers) September 24, 2021
Translation: The try-out becomes a seasonal contract – Rawle Alkins manifests himself in the 46ers squad.
Rawle is not the only American to manifest himself on this team, he has four fellow Americans: Nuni Omot (Baylor University), Kyan Anderson (Texas Christian University), Brayon Blake (University of Idaho), and John Bryant (Santa Clara). Alkins replaced Kendale McCullum (Lewis University) on the squad after he suffered a major injury.
“I’m very happy and looking forward to being able to prove myself in Gießen,” said Akins after signing a season contract, “I have a very good relationship with coach Pete Strobl, the entire coaching staff, the team, and Sebastian Schmidt. I’m grateful for this opportunity to be with the 46ers. Now I have to continue to work hard because easyCredit BBL is a very tough competition that I will face with great anticipation.”
The 46ers are one of 18 teams in the Germany BBL! Alkins will be playing against some other Pac-12 players in Germany’s Pro-A Basketball Bundesliga League Division. Fellow Arizona Basketball teammate Parker Jackson Cartwright is playing for Telekom Baskets Bonn, he averaged 25 points, five rebounds, six assists, and six steals last season and won the BBL Player of the Year award. While Jaylen Hands (UCLA) and Oscar da Silva (Stanford) are playing for team MHP Riessen Ludwigsburg.
Last season, Rawle entered training camp with the New Orleans Pelicans and then ended up playing for the Raptors 905 in the bubble. He hasn’t given up his dream to play in the NBA but wanted to get some more experience under his belt. This season he decided it was time to go back overseas since he had a good run in Portugal with FC Porto.
The Jobstair Giessen 46ers start their season at home this Sunday at 6:00 AM PST. You can watch the game on Youtube. Alkins scored a career-high 16 points in a preseason game against league rivals NINERS Chemnitz, so it will be fun to watch his career take off and we are here for it! Alkins has a great opportunity to shine and make headlines just as PJC just wowed BBL fans in his season opener generating this headline after scoring 25 points, six rebounds, five assist, and six steals from Justus Koch, “Parker Jackson-Cartwright towers as the smallest player.” Savage Life indeed!