CHICAGO — Rawle Alkins says he still has no clue if he’s returning to the Arizona Wildcats next season, but one thing became clearer Thursday.
He has a choice.
In 21 minutes of his first NBA Combine game, the UA freshman had 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, hit 2 of 5 3-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and had a plus-10 rating.
Only three times last season did Alkins score more than 18 points, all when he played at least eight more minutes.
“You tell me how you think I did,” Alkins said to the Star when asked about his performance Thursday. “Have you seen me play like that all year?”
Not often. While Alkins was a consistent and hard-playing freshman for the Wildcats last season, often rising up offensively when the team struggled the most, he fit into a more defined offensive role on a team most often led by Lauri Markkanen or Allonzo Trier.
Things are different now. Alkins is testing the draft process, leaving open the option to return to Arizona by May 24 because he has not signed with an agent, and the combine tends to show off offense and athleticism.
“I didn’t think I really showcased (offense) too much this season being that I was a freshman,” Alkins said. “Whether I go back to school or go to the NBA Draft, I think that’s going to expand because I continue to work on my craft and my game every day.”
Last season, Alkins wound up tied with Dusan Ristic as UA’s third-leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points per game while adding 4.9 rebounds and shooting 37 percent from 3-point range.
His potential role might appear similar next season, with Trier returning and mega-recruit DeAndre Ayton expected to soak up Markkanen’s minutes and scoring on a team that could be a No. 1 preseason pick. But Alkins says he expects to do more if he returns no matter who is around.
“You have to be confident, and just know your game,” Alkins said. “I’m confident in my abilities and I’m showcasing them.”
Alkins also said he “loves it” in Tucson and is aiming to win a national championship with the Wildcats next season — “that’s the whole goal, that’s the only goal” — if he’s back.
But he says he doesn’t know if he’ll return. Alkins said he expects to work out for other teams after the combine, then consult with family before making a decision that he says will arrive at or near the May 24 deadline.
“It’s 50-50, and depends on the feedback that I get,” Alkins said.
What Alkins is 100 percent certain of, however, is his ability to sell himself. After he put up his eye-opening numbers in Thursday’s game, Alkins spoke with the confidence of a prospect who has been coached by an agent, even though he hasn’t signed with one. (Alkins says his cousin is advising him through the predraft process.)
Alkins even turned a recent ESPN story saying he should return to UA because he doesn’t have a position in the NBA into a positive, saying it’s a “blessing” to be positionless.
Alkins’ official NBA measurement with shoes was only 6 feet 3.75 inches — UA lists him at 6-5 — which is small for his natural small forward spot. But Alkins said he can guard anyone from point guard to power forward and can play several positions offensively.
NBA teams “like the fact that I don’t have a position,” Alkins said. “They think that helps me a lot because I can play multiple roles and that helps me stay on the court, whether it’s guarding a four-man, a wing man or guarding point guards. I try to guard everyone.”
Already having displayed considerable personality and awareness as a UA freshman last season, Alkins is putting together an off-court pitch, too.
“On every interview I have, I do my research on the team, make sure I know the general manager’s name and the staff, so I can greet them,” Alkins said. “I try to get them as comfortable as possible, and make them know a New York athlete is not that they are rude and stuff like that.
“You’re applying for a job. You really want the job and you just do your best to get it.”
But is Alkins applying for a job, or just thinking about it?
That’s one question he can’t, or won’t, answer now.
Maybe not until May 24.
“You know the University of Arizona. You know how amazing it is over there,” Alkins told the Star. “It’s a tough decision. Depending on my decision, it can impact a bunch of people. It can affect people all over Tucson, Arizona. It can impact certain recruits. It can affect coaches and it can definitely affect me.
“I want to make sure that depending on whatever decision I make, I’m 100 percent in.”
