Alkins grew up an only child in Canarsie, but he wasn’t alone. Alkins shared a home with eight family members, including his mother, Derline Zephir, and a cousin, Rodney Labossiere, both of whom run the show in Alkins’ life. Alkins had, and needed, a supportive family. For a five-star recruit with offers to play at blue-blood programs nationwide, that’s a foreign concept.
Arbitello: “He doesn’t have handlers. He has his mother, his cousin Rodney and a couple cousins who live in the house with him in Canarsie. They never bothered me about basketball. It was just, ‘Is he doing well in school? Is he being a gentleman?’ That’s all they ever wanted to know. I used to think, ‘Why are they asking me this?’ This kid is the nicest kid I ever coached. If he wanted to be arrogant I would have to put up with it a little bit because he’s Rawle Alkins. So I think it’s just his mother deserves all the credit in the world for the way she raised him. She raised him to be a gentleman and worry about the important things in life.”
Alkins: “My mom raised me well.”
