Arizona has a rich history of New Yorkers making their way to McKale Center. Khalid Reeves was a star at Christ the King High School before singing with the UA. In 2011, MoMo Jones, from Harlem, and Kevin Parrom, from the Bronx, helped the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. Mark Lyons, of Schenectady, transferred from Xavier to Arizona a year later. Both Jones and Lyons became well known for their cocky personas.
Alkins is more relaxed than that:
Alkins: “I’m confident, don’t get me wrong, I’m still confident. I don’t need to show it. I let my game do the talking, but at the same time I’m confident in my ability and I know that with team success comes individual success and that’s … I just want to win.
Joe Arbitello, Christ the King coach: “Especially in New York, everyone thinks they’re the next coming. People would say to him that he’s not the best player in New York, but it never bothered him. That’s why I’ll never coach another kid with that type of talent and that type of personality. People don’t know what I mean by that, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care if he was the leading scorer, he didn’t care.”
Alkins: “In New York, it’s just … the tougher guys always win. I show my toughness in a different way. I don’t need to get in your face and talk to you, I just play. It happens to be a great thing for me.”
