Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
New York, NY (Future150) -- New York is home to the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. It is also home to many other historically great hoops spots, such as Rucker Park and Dyckman. Legends have played on these courts, and the high school ranks in the city have been historically loaded over the years.
That is until recently, when most New York City players started leaving for prep schools to either get their grades in order or to further expand their games. Despite the mass exodus, some players remain. Isaiah Whitehead has carved out a great career at Lincoln. Before him, Omar Calhoun was dominant at Christ the King. Make no mistake, there is still plenty of talent in the city.
One of NYC's brightest young stars happens to play at Christ the King as well; Rawle Alkins. He might only be a rising sophomore, but there's no doubting that he could be the next big thing in the city.
The 6-foot-4 guard knows the pressure that comes with playing in NYC and says it motivates him to be better.
"Coming from here just makes me want to be one of the best," he told Future150.
Alkins recently played in the Big Strick Classic and showed what he can do. He has a decent shot and is pretty athletic. While it is clear that his game still needs work, Alkins could be one of the top players in his class when it's all said and done. Despite that, Alkins doesn't feed into the hype machine; he's just focused on getting better.
"I don't pay attention to the rankings or anything like that, I just want to play basketball," Alkins said.
Over the summer, Alkins picked up a couple of offers from Cinncinatti and Seton Hall. Alkins has also started to draw interest from Miami (FL), Notre Dame, Villanova, Fordham, St.John's, and Kentucky. Interest should only continue to grow for the Christ the King product as the high school season begins. It is clear that Alkins has a chance to be special. What makes it more impressive is he can do it all with the New York skyline at his back.
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