Arizona has another highly-regarded recruiting class coming in next season and one of the main pieces is New York native and guard Rawle Alkins.
The No. 17 overall prospect in the final Rivals Class of 2016 national rankings, the 6-foot-4 Alkins should be a major contributor for the Wildcats next season as he joins other five-star prospects like Kobi Simmons and Terrance Ferguson.
But before he gets to Tucson, Alkins is already focused on getting into proper shape. At times during his high school career, Alkins played a little on the heavy side as he’s always been a physical guard who can bull smaller guards into the paint.
According to a report from Adam Zagoria, Alkins has lost more than 20 pounds during the last few months to help prepare him for the next level.“I was a little heavy, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I had a lot of fat.”
Alkins weighed as much as 237 pounds after leaving Christ the King for the South, but says he’s now down to 215 thanks to a diet and workout regimen.
“I went on a 21-day water diet,” he said. “No juice, no fried food, cut out the Wendy’s and McDonald’s. It was hard at first, but your body just gets used to it in a couple months. It’s all muscle too because I’ve been lifting.”
If Alkins is in great shape, it’s a huge sign for Arizona because they have a lot of elite perimeter talent entering next season. With Simmons being one of the fastest guards in the country, it’s important that Alkins can get up and down the floor with him to help lead the Arizona offense.
Alkins was already a strong athlete who could play above the rim, but now that he’s in proper shape, he could be in for a big freshman year in the Pac-12.