Rawle Alkins a star in the Drew League this summer

Two years ago, Former Arizona Basketball player Gabe York won the Drew League Championship, now it was Rawle Alkins’ turn.

Rawle Alkins turned up at King Drew High School on a Sunday afternoon and blew the roof off the gym in his premier game. No one knew where he had been all these years.

Last NBA season former Arizona Wildcat Rawle Alkins spent in Utah playing for the Utah Stars. This summer he’s been working very hard at his game and it shows. His debut and run to the Championship in the Drew League was one to remember.
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Blacc Pearl Elite, or BPE, is coached by one of the most famous former players Lee Gayle who goes by LG. LG received his 50th Anniversary coat this past weekend. By his side, is Cedric Lusk (BallisLife Basketball trainer among other roles) the GM of the team, Jamaul Huff, or J-Huff as he is fondly called. The three coaches have mad chemistry, basketball IQ and experience.

Two weeks left in the regular season, Huff knew he had to get Alkins in a game prior to the playoffs. Huff had been watching Alkins’ game for years and wanted him to play on BPE from the beginning of the season. So he reached out after a triple-double at the Utah Powder ProAm League including 30 points. Alkins agreed to join the team and flew to Los Angeles to compete in the Drew League.

In his Drew League premier, Alkins played out of his mind on 4 hours of sleep, missing only two shots, and earned a Player of the Game award with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Rawle would have had 30 points, but the opposing coach, Keion Kindred, of Los Angeles fame, the coach of Team Redemption had seen enough and forfeited with one minute left. Yes, you can do that in the Drew League.

Alkins flew back home to Phoenix and drove back to Los Angeles for the first two Drew League Playoff games. Alkins plays alongside Quenton “Q” Jackson (Wizards two-way G-League Player) and the Warriors’ 7-foot Center Jayce Johnson. Along with NBA talent, Alkins plays with a few international players with lots of Drew League experience, Dion Wright, Sek “Viper” Henry, Manny Hernandez, “Mad” Max Jones, Travele Jones, Kwame “Hitman” Alexander, and Matt “Money” Mitchell.

Jorge Preciado, the Drew League Announcer for the last 20 years, got a kick out of saying “Bear Down” after any awesome play Rawle makes. He also calls out Rawle if he blows a layup or something else. A lot of the Drew League Directors and Drew League Crew had so much fun watching Alkins play, and have wondered where he has been hiding all these summers. He was shown a lot of respect by a lot of the players, coaches as well as fans, who are very vocal and don’t hold back.

Blacc Pearl Elite, last season, went to the Championship and lost to Home Town Favorites Dorell Wright, a 2006 NBA champion, his younger brother Delon Wright, a 2015 NBA first-round pick, and at the time future NBA draft pick De’Anthony Melton. BPE had revenge on their mind the entire season. After blowing through their first two opponents, Ghost (Corey Maggette’s team) and Citi Team Blazers (minus last year’s UCLA star Jaime Jaquez Jr.).

The team needed two more wins to get a ring which sells online for $750.

Alkins came back to LA for Championship weekend. In the Final Four semi-finals, BPE had to defeat the undefeated MMV Cheaters with 10-year International and NBA pro, Casper Ware, Drew League legends Garrett Nevels and Van Girard, and Walt Lemon (Former Chicago Bull who played with Rawle).

The teams were neck and neck through the first quarter and by halftime, BPE was up 17 (56 – 39). There’s nothing like being in sync, and Q and King Rawle had themselves a time! In usual form, BPE pulled away even more and eventually won 100-75. Rawle was dubbed Player of the Game once more scoring 28 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and one block.

One more game.

The final game was originally expected to be played Sunday afternoon, but Hurricane Hilary had other plans. The game was moved to Saturday night and after the season award ceremonies. the game started at about 9 pm in front of a packed highly charged King Drew High School gym in Compton, California. BPE’s opponent was a Montrezl Harrell-Less Tuff Fades team. Tuff Fades is owned by the famous Drew League and BIG 3-star Franklin Session, or Nitty as he is called in the Drew League.

Here were the starting lineups:

https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1693111277504401899?s=20

The game was contentious, to say the least, but very exciting to watch. BPE came out with some tough defense but fell behind by 10 points. You know, when Rawle’s team falls behind, he shows up! When threes don’t fall, driving to the basket usually yields the desired results. Tuff Fades were focused on our Wildcat and had a difficult time guarding him sending him to the line multiple times. Towards the end of the “Money Quarter,” as announcer Jorge likes to call it, the teams battled hard and swapped baskets ending the game in a 60-60 tie.

Overtime was just three minutes with a running clock. After a few valiant attempts to gain the lead, Tuff Fades scored three free throws on BPE fouls to win the Championship. After Nitty earned his fourth Drew League Player of the Year award, he got to take home his second Championship trophy as well with a matching ring that his team was fitted for in the locker room post-game.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience for Alkins who gained a ton of respect in the ProAm circuit and balled his way into a lot of hearts in Los Angeles and around the world. “I wanna say thank you to Team Blacc Pearl Elite and Coach Huff and the whole squad for giving me the opportunity to hoop with them. This was the most fun I’ve had hooping in a minute,” Rawle wrote on Instagram.

Alkins’ game has definitely been elevated over this last summer, it’s quite evident, and his Drew League coach J-Huff enjoyed having him play for the BPE team.

"We built a great relationship, he’s a great young man. I believe he belongs in the game [NBA]. I learned a lot from coaching him, he’s easy to coach, he listens and has a high IQ as well as a he’s a confident performer. He bought in, immediately, he wants to win as much as I do. He practices excellence and became an instant leader on the team. I gained a new friend and player for life! – Blacc Pearl Elite GM/Coach Jamaul Huff"

Rawle wrote a heartfelt note to both his team and his opponents which was reposted by almost everyone he tagged.

Let’s end with a Jorge quote, “The future is bright for this Wildcat. King Raaaawwwleeee, Bearrrrrr Downnnn!”

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