6-foot-6 Chase Rawlins' important decisions in his young life have been to not go down the path well tread. His process in deciding is compile the necessary information and make his call. Pressure is not a factor, whether it be internal or societal.
At the tender age of five, Rawlins sought out a personal basketball trainer and eventually decided on Danielle Viglione, an area basketball trainer, a former professional player and now Director of Player Development with the WNBA's LA Sparks. Many, if not most, male ballers would have forsaken even momentarily considering a female trainer. Not Rawlins.
A more recent Rawlins choice involved deciding on which college he would attend and thus join forces with the school' basketball program. The combo guard enjoyed multiple options including UC Davis, Hawaii, Sacramento State, Princeton, Lafayette, Cal State San Marcos and William Jessup University. He went with the nearby Davis Aggies, located just 36 miles away, even though the plan for him as a freshman is to redshirt. Again, the vast majority of male players would have turned down such a plan.
But Rawlins' redshirting will allow further refinement of his basketball skills as well as turning the weight room into a place of devotion to add strength and bulk.
Men's basketball at Davis has an unofficial nickname of GuardU due to its guards having blossomed under both the tutelage of Les and Company and in the system of play. The current star of the Aggie squad is 6-foot-3 senior Ty Johnson who is coming off a season in which he averaged per game 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds. 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals. In the 2022-23 season, 6-foot-4 graduated senior Elijah Pepper averaged 22.5 points.
This backcourt history made a positive impression on Rawlins and he noted, "Coach (Jim) Les lets his guards operate within the offense."
“I couldn’t be happier for Chase and his family," said Coach Brandon White, founder of the Rose City Ballers, Rawlins' AAU squad. "Coach Les and Coach Nosek believe in Chase and see him being a contributor in the near future. Chase's best basketball is in front of him. He’s going to play this game for a long time. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for him."
Rawlins officially visited UC Davis on October 21-22 after informally tripping there in late August. The evening of the first day consisted of dinner with the coaching staff and meeting with academic advisers. The next day offered time for Rawlins to "hang out with the team" and tour the campus. The result after his visit obviously demonstrates the enjoyment of his experience. A 3.85 grade point average adds to Rawlins' recruiting attractiveness n indicates he should quickly adapt to the Davis academic rigor.
What is the Davis program getting in him? "A player who works hard every single day," Rawlins explained. "My best skills are my IQ on the court and my ability to score." Add someone who will be ready to contribute when it is his turn.
Asked why he'll be signing early (this month), Rawlins offered, "it's better for me during my senior season knowing where I will be in college and who will be my coach."
Regarding his redshirting, Rawlins is fine with it because "it will give me time to develop my body and get familiar with the system." His plan is "to be a sponge" once he gets in the gym at Davis, running on a cycle of continuous learning.
One goal at Folsom High for this coming senior season is "to be more vocal" with his leadership and "also more understanding." The latter is to develop greater cognizance about what his teammates need from him in order to be their best.
He will be a Business major.
So it will be goodbye to Folsom High and farewell to the Rose City Ballers for Rawlins after this basketball season and on to an institution built around bettering agricultural policy, veterinary care and the production and care of domestic animals. But Aggie hoops is on a run powered by backcourt point achievement so maybe, just maybe, Davis' three major centers of focus will grow to become a quartet. Chase Rawlins would love to be a factor in making that happen.