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RELATED: Unselfish Play Propels Team Rose Into Title Game | Dennis Smith Bangs Over 6'10 Player

He didn't start, he only played half the game and didn't play many minutes with running mate Lonzo Ball, but nothing was going to stop 6-foot-4 shooting guard Rawle Alkins of Team Rose from completing his summer mission. Alkins, a charismatic New Yorker likely on the move for his senior season, wanted to show national scouts, as well as a national television audience, that he's a national top 10 prospect in the Class of 2016 and in the conversation as high school basketball's top shooting guard prospect.

Mission accomplished.

Alkins completed his dominant run through adidas Nations by leading Team Rose to a 113-93 win over Team Wall in the championship game played at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. With the game in the balance in the fourth period, Alkins hit three consecutive 3-pointers to give Team Rose the cushion that it needed to cruise to victory. The score was 77-70 in favor of Team Rose entering the fourth but when Alkins' barrage was completed, it was 97-77.

"I want to be known as the best shooting guard in the class," said Alkins, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. "I started as an unknown and unranked player. In ninth grade, I was like No. 45. Then I went to No. 22 and now it's like No. 7.

"Cali is a good luck charm to me."

Alkins was referring to his dominant showing at the Pangos All-American Camp in Carson, Calif. back in early June, when he took home MOP honors before catching a quick flight back to New York.

"Winning is the only option," Alkins said about his team's unbeaten run through the event.

In Monday's adidas Nations title game, he hit 6-of-8 3-pointers. As a team, Team Wall made 12-of-22 3-pointers. The game's out come was decided by the difference in shooting between the two teams made up of American 2016 prospects. Team Rose made 50.6 percent of its shots from the field (43-of-85), while Team Wall shot 39.2 percent (38-97).

Markelle Fultz, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), led Team Wall with 16 points. He made 7-of-25 shots from the field and didn't connect from 3-point range on five attempts.

To offset the knee injury suffered by point guard Dennis Smith Jr., of Team Wall on Sunday evening, guard Frank Jackson of Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) was moved from Team Rose to Team Wall for the title game. It affected Team Rose's normal rotation, but it did not change the outcome of the game.

Alkins was not going to be denied.

"He's for real," Alkins said about Ball, a 6-foot-5 point guard out of Chino Hills, Calif. "He's a lot like Andre Iguodala. He does a lot of things that sometimes don't show up in the stat sheet."

Ball led the team in minutes in the title game (28) and didn't score much (4 points, 2-of-5 shooting), but did the little things to make a difference just as he had all week. He finished with game-highs in rebounds (11) and assists (8).

Mario Kegler, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), added 19 points for Team Rose. Guard Kobi Simmons of St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) also finished with 19 points, while Mustapha Heron of Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) made all three of his 3-point attempts and added 15.

"I don't get to play with players like this very often, so I wanted to cherish it and win a championship," Ball said. "It was a great experience playing with this group. I don't have to do as much as I do with my travel team, but I could do more if we needed it.

"It took a little time for the guys to warm up to what I do, but that's normal. I would do the same to guys I didn't trust."

Alkins and his teammates undoubtedly trust Ball now.

Team Africa Closes Strong

In the third place game, Team Africa closed out an impressive run at the event with a 89-85 victory over Team Lillard, which was made up of American 2017 prospects.

Team Lillard led 49-39 at halftime, but Team Africa used a big third quarter to take control of the game. They outscored the Americans 27-10. Lillard lowest point total in any of the other three quarters was 24 points.

Alpha Diallo, a 6-foot-7 2016 wing out of Lincoln (Denver, Col.), tied the game at 52-52 on a steal and flush with 5:40 remaining in the third period and Team Africa took control thereafter. A highlight finish by Mamadi Diakite, a 6-foot-9 2016 forward out of Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.), off a push up the court and pretty pass by Wenyen Gabriel, a 6-foot-9 power forward out of Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Manchester, N.H.), made it 58-54 late in the third period. The score was 66-59 Team Africa leading entering the fourth period.

Team Africa's athleticism and ability to finish created problems for foes all weekend and Team Lillard was no exception. Lillard especially had trouble slowing down Diallos, as the two on Team Africa combined for 56 points. Alpha Diallo netted 30 points (even though he missed seven three throws) and added 13 rebounds. Hamidou Diallo, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Woostock Academy (Queens, N.Y.), added 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field.

Gabriel didn't shoot particular well (4-of-14) but he continued to show an all-around skill level that make him a bonafide Top 10 long-term prospect in the Class of 2016. He finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Diakite added eight points.

Team Lillard kept within range and had opportunities down the stretch to potentially tie the game. When guard Trevon Duval of St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) converted a lay-up with 1:46 to go, it cut Team Lillard's deficit down to four points (84-80), but Team Africa made enough free throws down the stretch.

Duval was one of three Team Lillard players in double figures with 11 points. E.J. Montgomery, a talented 2018 power forward prospect out of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), had 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Gary Trent Jr., a 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Apple Valley (Minn.) and the son of the former NBA player, led Team Lillard with 24 points.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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RELATED: Official adidas Nations Mix: Rawle Alkins Leads Team Rose To Title | Dennis Smith Bangs Over 6'10 Player

The Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif. has a humid feel and a gym full of elite high school and college players trying to separate from the pack in front of a throng of NBA brass and national basketball scouts.

The adidas Nations event brings together some of the best high school-aged players from all over the world. It's a fantastic concept and has produced fantastic evaluations in recent years, but it does present its share of challenges.

It's early August and a vast majority of the players are fatigued from a long summer playing at various camps and with their travel team. There is also the element of getting acclimated with other elite players and sharing the ball with other players with similar ability who happen to play the same position.

One team with considerable backcourt talent that has quickly made the adjustment  is U.S. Team Rose, made of of many of the United States' best 2016 (seniors-to-be) prospects. The adjustment is reflected in their on-court performance and overall performance at the event.

The backcourt includes explosive 6-foot-4 Kobi Simmons of St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), powerful 6-foot-4 Rawle Alkins, who spent his junior season at Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) but will play elsewhere this winter, versatile 6-foot-3 Frank Jackson of Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) and crafty 6-foot-5 Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.).

Team Rose is off to an impressive 4-0 start with the closest margin of victory a nine point win (97-88) over Team Asia Pacific. The minutes have varied for the guards, but through trial and error -- and basketball intuition -- they have figured out the combination that has made the team run at its highest efficiency.

Alkins has quickly figured out if he runs the floor he'll be rewarded regardless of whom has the ball up front. He simply is too powerful for almost any high school-aged player to slow down in the open court. In the half court, he is explosive enough to get by his man and finish. Alkins has scored 15, 20 and 20 points with only one game in which he shot under 50 percent from the field.

Simmons and Jackson have both played the point guard spot with varying degrees of success. Jackson is an able passer, but he has a scorer's mentality and sometimes operates with a singular vision to score. Jackson is a good point guard, but has a chance to be a college standout at the two-guard slot. Simmons has been inconsistent -- at times finishing with explosive moves, while at other times careless with the ball and not seeing the passing lanes necessary to play the position at a high level.

Ball has eased his way into making things click for this team from the point guard position. The sign of a true lead guard is when teammates understand they are in the best possible position to excel when a particular player has the ball in his hands and in this case that's Ball. The Chino Hills standout doesn't do this vocally, but by making his teammates realize they'll get the ball back if he's the one facilitating offense. Ball is not the most explosive in the open court and his shot selection lacks at times (it is much better here at adidas Nations than it was in Las Vegas a week ago when he played with his normal travel team), but his innate ability to see passing lanes or a developing play and making the correct decision with confidence has put Team Rose in position to play for the adidas Nations team championship on Monday night.

Ball came in with a mixed bag of reviews with regards to his status near the top of credible national player rankings, but his play here so far has left no doubt the UCLA commit is on the level of a top 15 national prospect. In this exclusive BIL interview (SEE VIDEO ABOVE), Ball speaks on his adidas Nations experience and how Team Rose's backcourt quickly learned to jell on the court.

SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE

Team Rose took on a talented African team that came in with only one loss and used a big fourth quarter to pull away in a 105-89 win. With the victory, Team Rose will take on Team Wall (also made up of top U.S. 2016 prospects) in the adidas Nations title game at 9 PM ET (ESPNU). In the third place game, it will be Team Lillard (a U.S. 2017 team) vs. Team Africa (the club Team Rose defeated on Sunday evening) at 7 PM ET (ESPNU).

The Rose vs. Africa game was within a couple of possessions halfway through the fourth quarter. That's when Alkins, Team Rose's most consistent scorer, and Ball took over. Alkins hit a couple of pull up jumpers in traffic when Africa threatened and after a sluggish three quarters, Ball took over down the stretch with two free throws, a big blocked shot, a 3-pointer and an acrobatic reverse lay-in.

Alkins finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists and has arguably been the most impressive performer in the event. Through four games he is averaging 20.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 6.3 apg. After a 2-for-11 start from the field, Ball finished 4-of-14 with 10 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocked shots. He's averaging 10.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 4.0 apg.

A damper was put on Team Wall's title game appearance when 2016 point guard Dennis Smith, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Trinity Christian (Fayetteville, N.C.) and the team's top performer, went down with a knee injury in Sunday night's win over Team Lillard. Smith went to change direction and after he was bumped slightly, he fell to the floor in pain immediately after his left leg hit the ground following his drive to the basket.

Smith attempted to get back up on his own power, but eventually had to be helped to the trainer's table. He iced his left knee and then left the gym on crutches. There was no further update on his injury status as of late Sunday night. He obviously won't play in Monday's title game and likely won't be playing in any competitive game anytime soon.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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