At times, Rawle Alkins is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound heat-seeking missile headed straight to the basket.
So the scouting report on him early in his freshman season with the Arizona Wildcats has been pretty obvious. Opponents’ “M.O. was dare him to shoot, play him to drive,” UA coach Sean Miller said. “But he’s learned to take what the defense gives him.”
Alkins did so more than ever last Saturday.
While Missouri threw out a mix of defenses mostly designed to protect the basket and make life rough on big men Lauri Markkanen and Dusan Ristic, Alkins did his work wherever and whenever he could.
He hit 4 of 7 three-pointers from the outside, two of which came when UA unsuccessfully went inside, and kicked it back out to an open Alkins.
“He (then) stepped in and knocked down a really good shot,” Miller said. “An open three for Rawle is a great shot for our team, and he knows that.
“He’s really learning to take good threes, not hunt shots. Rawle’s unselfish by nature, and as he’s really learned to take good threes, he’s put in a lot of work in. In the summer and fall he was always in the gym after practice. He works hard at his game and he’s starting to see the benefits of that.”
Another pleasant surprise for Miller on Saturday: That Alkins pulled down seven defensive rebounds on top of the two missed shots he picked up from teammates and turned into rebound baskets.
The nine rebounds overall tied Alkins with Keanu Pinder for team-high honors in UA’s 79-60 win at Missouri.
“My coaches are telling me to stay aggressive on offense,” Alkins said after the game. “So I’m just taking that approach more seriously. It’s just me playing hard all game.”
He then smiled, adding “Hopefully, I’ll get a double-double one of these days.”
Maybe so. While Miller isn’t surprised with Alkins’ offensive rebounding — because of his size, long arms and aggressiveness — Alkins’ rebounding spiked on the defensive side Saturday.
“The challenge for him is to do it on the defensive end of the glass maybe as well as he’s doing on the offensive glass,” Miller said. It’s “blocking out and dealing with players like himself, where they don’t run back on the shot — they try to get second shots like he does for us. That’s a big part of his upside this season.”
Taking blame
A week after Miller appeared to sarcastically note that the Wildcats had to adjust to the “cross body blocks” by Gonzaga following UA’s loss at Los Angeles, Miller had no issue with how things were called Saturday even as Missouri went to the free-throw line 30 times.
Instead, during his news conference Monday, Miller put it on his players, many of whom are still learning how to defend aggressively under modern-day NCAA rules that tilt toward offensive freedom of movement.
“We (had) some silly, silly fouls in the Missouri game,” Miller said. “They were called right. We fouled. (It was) at the end of the clock, (by) reaching and (needing to) challenge a shot and not come over the top or slap down at the ball.
“I think the rules are clearer now more than ever. You have to stay within your own cylinder. You have to stay out of your opponent’s cylinder. And you have to show your hands. You have to go straight up. If you do go straight up, they will reward you for being disciplined and sound. But if you come through with an arm or you reach or you take unnecessary chances, it’s going to be a foul every time.”
Scouting the Lopes
Miller may not need to verbally warn his players much about Grand Canyon and guard DeWayne Russell, who will visit McKale Center for a 9 p.m. game Wednesday.
The game video of Louisville’s 79-70 win over GCU on Dec. 3 might do the trick.
Russell, after all, scored 42 points when GCU gave the Cardinals a minor scare in Phoenix. And, as a freshman playing for NAU in 2012-13, Russell had 13 points and six rebounds against the Wildcats at McKale Center.
“He was very, very good at that time and he’s a more mature player now,” Miller said. “I watched what he did to Louisville and that speaks for itself. You get 40 or more against them, you’re a great, great offensive player. There aren’t as many players who can score like him, gets their own shot, be very efficient.”
Grand Canyon is 5-4 after beating Illinois-Chicago 73-69 on Saturday in Phoenix.
Eye-opener
As much as Miller has been a big believer in T.J. McConnell, even he didn’t see McConnell’s near triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) coming against the Pistons on Sunday in the 76ers’ win.
“Not necessarily,” Miller said. “That’s a heck of a feat. But I did think T.J. would be an NBA guard. I really believed that. Looking back at him, the success he had and the impact he had on the two teams here, it makes sense.
“He’s someone we’re all really proud of and hopeful he’ll continue to stay healthy because he’s well on his way to playing in the NBA for a long time.”
McConnell’s former UA teammate, Stanley Johnson, was back on the floor for the Pistons in that game after making what turned out to be a productive one-game stint in the D-League on Saturday.
Johnson has been averaging only 13.4 minutes a game with Detroit this year.
“I don’t think it was a demotion as much as he wasn’t playing much and sometimes in an effort to prepare those guys for what’s to come you want to get them some game experience,” Miller said. “More NBA teams are doing that than you think. I know he played well when he did that, so that’s good.
“Stanley will find his way. He’s too talented and too smart.”
Rim shots
• Arizona moved up one spot to No. 19 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll this week, while USC jumped in at No. 24. Of UA’s opponents this season, UCLA remains No. 2, while Gonzaga was No. 8, Butler is No. 18 and Oregon is No. 22.
• Colorado’s Derrick White was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after scoring 23 points in the Buffs’ homecourt win over Xavier. The Wildcats nominated Alkins.
