Even in defeat, Sean Miller and the Arizona Wildcats didn’t lose their recruiting touch.
At least with New York guard Rawle Alkins, who announced Monday night he will play for the Wildcats next season, joining fellow five-star-caliber forward Lauri Markkanen of Finland and McDonalds All-American Kobi Simmons of Georgia.
The 6-foot-5-inch Alkins just happened to take his first visit to Tucson precisely when the Wildcats’ 49-game homecourt winning streak blew up in a 83-75 loss to Oregon in late January.
He sat so close to the UA bench that night that he could almost have jumped out to join that verbal confrontation between Miller and center Kaleb Tarczewski.
That didn’t scare him.
It sold him.
“One thing really stuck out with me when I took that visit was that (at UA) winning is the only option,” Alkins said on ESPNU after making his announcement Monday night. “They lost their first (home) game in three years. That really stuck with me.”
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Alkins’ coach for three years at New York’s Christ the King, Joe Arbitello, wasn’t a bit surprised, saying Alkins was the most competitive player he’s ever coached.
“Rawle’s only got one thing on his mind. Basketball. That’s it,” said Arbitello, who played at the school along with Lamar Odom in the 1990s. “Any of the great players are like that. They don’t play Xbox or even talk to girls that much. They have only one thing on their mind.
“I truly believe Rawle made the decision where he wanted to go based on winning.”
Alkins said his strong relationships with Miller and UA assistant coach Book Richardson also played a big role, and he indicated he already looking forward Monday to playing a key role with the Wildcats and in the Pac-12.
“Right now, coach Sean is talking to me about Gabe York, a senior guard who scores a lot for the team, creates a lot for the team,” Alkins told ESPNU. “So he’s kind of looking for me to be the next leader for that team, impact starter, impact player.
“I feel like the Pac-12, I’ll probably try to dominate that conference. (It’s about) just being the best me I can be.”
Alkins, Markkanen and Simmons make up a 2016 recruiting class 24/7 Sports said is now the No. 9 class in composite rankings, and the Wildcats may still add another two or three players.
Miller has said he hopes to sign five or six players total before next season. He will have at least five openings, with four departing seniors and one open spot that wasn’t filled this season, and could have more if departed forward Elliott Pitts leaves the team permanently and/or if freshman Allonzo Trier turns pro.
Pitts sat out 18 games with what Miller called a “personal issue,” and left the team for good before the Wildcats’ Feb. 17 game with ASU. Miller would not say if he expects Pitts to return next season.
Whatever the case, it’s clear the Wildcats will have a competitive battle for playing time on the perimeter, especially if Trier does not turn pro. UA is expected to return guards Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Kadeem Allen and Justin Simon, while Simmons is a McDonalds All-American who will bring combo guard skills to the group.
Alkins, who is ranked as the No. 17 recruit by ESPNU and No. 20 by Scout, has a power-guard game similar to that of former UA guard Stanley Johnson, who left after one year to become the No. 8 NBA draft pick last June.
ESPN analyst Paul Biancardi also compared him with Lance Stephenson and former UA guard Gilbert Arenas during Alkins’ ESPNU announcement.
“He’s physically imposing for a shooting guard or a small forward,” Biancardi said. “He’s the type of guy when he gets a head of steam in the open floor some guys step in and take charges -- but most guys get out of the way.
“He can make three-point shots and he can beat you off the drive. He’s a strong power guard. Creates a lot of fouls and he can be a very good strong wing defender.”
Alkins left Christ the King, where former UA standout guard Khalid Reeves once played, for Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, this season. But Arbitello said he still stays in close touch with Alkins, who still texts him words of encouragement as Christ the King chases a fourth straight Catholic city title this season without him.
He wants to win it. Even if, in this case, he can’t help anymore.
“If there’s one thing he continues to text me about it’s `Four-peat. Four-peat’ — and he’s not even on the team,” Arbitello said. “He’s a throwback kid. A great kid. I’ll never coach another kid like him.”
