Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitment of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.
The remaining uncommitted five-star players are now coming off the board, one by one. On Tuesday night it was New York’s finest, 6’4” wing Rawle Alkins, who made his decision to head out west and play for Sean Miller at Arizona. The Wildcats weren’t even in the running for the No. 20 prospect in the class of 2016 class just three months ago, but that all changed when Alkins put together an impressive performance against five-star forward Thon Maker in Detroit while Miller was in attendance. Shortly after that performance, Alkins took an unofficial visit to Tucson and the rest is history.
A major selling point for Alkins was a comparison of his game with that of former Arizona one-and-done star Stanley Johnson. Like the 2014 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Alkins is a powerful wing that plays with a junkyard mentality. Hailing from New York, Alkins is known as a talented scorer who can finish in the paint. He sports a powerful upper body which creates space off drives and allows scoring opportunities in the post. While a very good finisher at the rim, Alkins is a streaky outside shooter who, as Jonathan Givony from DraftExpress has noted. also has a propensity for weight fluctuations.
While at Christ the King (NY), Alkins led his team to three straight New York City titles and two state Federation titles. His eligibility came into question last summer because he played varsity high school games as an 8th grader in Florida. Not wanting to risk his senior year, Alkins made the decision to transfer to Word of God Academy in North Carolina, which also happens to be the former school of current Washington Wizards star John Wall.
Alkins put together a dominant performance last summer while playing on the Adidas AAU circuit, capping it off by being named the Adidas Nations camp’s MVP. One of his Adidas teammates, five-star point guard Kobi Simmons, also plans to play for the Wildcats next year. The 6’5” Simmons is the No. 18 recruit nationally and the Georgia native selected Arizona after UNLV fired Dave Rice and despite never visiting the campus. This pair gives the Wildcats the No. 4 recruiting class as of now, with five-star Finnish prospect Lauri Markkanen, a projected first round pick in 2017, joining them. Miller is also still in the mix for Josh Jackson, the No. 2 ranked recruit nationally, and five-star wing Terrance Ferguson, who just last week de-committed from Alabama.