Yes, yes, we know. We should be focusing on the recruiting class of 2010, 2011 or even 2012, but we just want to introduce to you local kid who is about to blow up and has some serious NC State connections. Though we mentioned him before, we've never really given you much insight on Purvis' game or situation.PG Rodney Purvis is only a freshman, but he is going to be something very special in the coming years. He just turned 15 and he has a frame better than many seniors. He stands at 6'3, can handle the ball, shoot with range and possesses some extreme athleticism. We had the pleasure of getting to see Purvis first hand this summer at the Pangos camp in Long Beach, CA, and was he ever impressive. When we first saw him, we thought he was pretty decent, but not one of the more dominant players. That was until we heard he was only an 8th grader. Pangos, which was comprised of mostly the nations best rising seniors, is a best of the best camp. To stand out there as a rising senior means a lot in your recruitment, however, to stand out there as a rising freshman mean that there is going to start being some major buzz around your name, which is exactly what happened with Purvis.
Rodney played his middle school ball at Upper Room Christian in Raleigh and will play for Upper Room again next season as the school caters grades K-9th. Now, you know that we make it a priority to not clog your heads with recruit names that you don't need to know, or that don't have any any connection to the Wolfpack. So then, why are we talking about Rodney Purvis?
His athletic director.
Upper Room Christian's AD is none other than former Pack player Avie Lester. Lester, who played center for the Wolfpack under Coach Jim Valvano, still has connections with his former school and would be a big 'in' if, and when, the NC State staff gets involved. Although most schools are going to wait until basketball season to really evaluate Purvis, you can be bet that the Wolfpack coaching staff will take the 10 minute trip to check this kid out.
The Charlotte Observer did a piece a while back about the buzz around Purvis. They spoke with a coach (Tony Edwards) that has also worked with Kentucky commit and former #1 prep player, John Wall. Edwards had this to say when asked whether Purvis could end up being better than Wall.
“Unfair to John. At the same stage, Rodney Purvis is far, far, far advanced beyond where John Wall was.”
Here is a short highlight reel of Purvis at Pangos, done by our friend Nils over at HoopMixTape. Check it out, and remember that this kid has not yet played a game of high school basketball.
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26 Responses to "RECRUIT TO WATCH: Rodney Purvis (2013)"being a 1970 graduate, i am toooo old to be thinking about 2013 classes. :-)
sbas2
Yes, he has body like a senior because he is the same age as most of them. If he is 16 at the front end of his freshman year, is it fair to ask if he is college material?
-Jamie in Raleigh
^ That's a good question, but it seems like Hansbrough had a pretty good College career, and I THINK he was in that same age bracket.
Let's follow the kid and see how it plays out. He certainly will be fun to watch.
Exciting prospect and gosh, I hope he comes to State.
But PLEASE, let's let this kid be a kid for just a little while longer. I'm a little worried about the attention some of these guys receive at such a young age. I realize that this is now the way of the world, but I dream of players who are well indoctrinated in the basics and team spirit instead of feeling pressure to pad their statistics to improve their personal ranking.
It really does not matter what college he likes now...he will change his mind 5 times before he graduates.
No colleges are even involved, nor is he going to be really going through the recruiting process for another year or so. We just wanted to let you know he's out there and he's a very good prospect with NC State ties. You can check him out this season, Upper Room is in Raleigh.
Avie Lester.... wow, haven't heard that name in a while.
one of my buddies turned 16 his junior year in high school, and this kid is 16 at the beginning of his Freshman year. that brings up plenty of ?? marks as to what the heck he has been doing in school. i dont think you can just start school that late can you, he would have had to fail a year at least, maybe 2. Kid will be a 19 year old at the beginnin of his Sr. year. thats crazy. Isn't Luke Cothron in a similar situation. I think i read that he was either 19 or 20?
LD
Offer this kid NOW.
Just gotta hope that the dirty hands of guys like WWW don't get near him. 2013 is way too far out to think about, I'm more worried about Leslie and Cothron right now. Then after them I'm keeping up with Quincy Miller. Beyond Miller I have no idea who is out there...
There are many legitimate reasons why some kids are older than their classmates. First of all the cutoff dates for school are different in different states. In some states a kid with an October birthday would have not been elegibile to start kindergarten where he could if he lived in NC.
There was also a big trend among parents and counselors to allow boys an "extra growing year" by holding the boys who had late summer birthdays back so they would start a year later than they were elegible. Some parents took this approach to give their kids more time to adjust socially. Other parents took advantage of this option so the kids would not have a physical disadvantage when playing sports with kids in their grade who could be as much as a year older.
Just because a kid is older than their class does not automatically indicate that they failed a grade or are poor students.
Do you guys think we'll have anyone signing in the November period? I know these guys want to make sure their bases are covered, but what about signing with a clause saying they're tied to Lowe, and if Lowe gets bounced they will be let out?
^ Theres a chance you see Ryan and Zo sign in November. Lowe isn't going anywhere and they should know that, but both Ryan and Lorenzo are firmly committed, either way.
We'll try to feel around and see what the word is on when these guys plan to put it in ink.
By 2013 hopefully they would have overturned this dumb 1 and done rule and kids like this can just go straight to the league like they want to.
Tank04
Tank04 - I think that we'll see that rule expand to two years before it is over. The NBA and NCAA are winners, for now, with the One-Year after High School Rule. Now, with a few kids opting to play in Europe for that year, the thinking is that another forced year would thwart that mentality, and keep players in college, and send the NBA more developed and mature players. NBA teams are tired of wasting millions of dollars drafting upon potential, when their potential is usually realized after their Free-Agency year. Of course these players want to go straight to the NBA. Money for nothing.
As far as Rodney's age goes, there are a lot of reasons why a kid can be older for his grade. There are a few examples in the previous posts, and there are more examples out there. As a kid travels from school to school, sometimes they are placed in a different grade depending on what the content their old school taught them, as compared to the curriculum requirements of the State/School that they are transferring into. Some Montessori schools have a more open ended definition of grade levels. They are based more on how you work and the pace with which you learn (they don't look down upon a slower learner). A kid could have spent several years in home school and placed in a lower grade level than his age would conventionally dictate. Let's not presume that there is only one way to get to a particular destination. If Cuthron is in a similar situation, age-wise, then he is a great example of someone in that position that can certainly be college material.
Also, Realwolfpacker, you see what getting a commitment from a kid that early got us with CJ Leslie. I disagree with WolfCop. A Freshman will change his/her mind about 1000 times before their commitment is binding. Sid should show lots of interest and offer when and if the time is right, which I'm sure he'll do. A lot can and will happen in four years. For sure.
Go State!
^ It's a touchy call either way. I mean, it's great to know that your coaching staff can spot these kids VERY early on, and that they have the ability to get into their heads before the rest of the crowd is even aware they're out there. But I'm thinking more and more that there is such a thing as offering too early, and that a kid might just naturally pull away, if he sees other kids going through the process, and feels he's missing out on something later on. ???
stop please a 9th grader .....lets see some improvment here. I think it is time Sid.
16 in 9th grade?
ppack3 -
Yes, I understand what happened with Leslie opening his recruitment back up but I don't think that should stop us from recruiting these younger kids when they show this type of promise. Not to mention he has ties to NC State. I don't think the staff will get "gun shy" just because one recruit decided they committed too early. I say offer the kid (and any others) that you think can help you school win regardless of age.
I don't feel comfortable even talking about a 9th grader on a website. Just seems wrong. We should just be aware he exists and re-visit in 2011.
Rodney Purvis is NOT 16 he is 15 years old
I hear he is almsost 17 .....I realize Sid is desparate but how about going after players that will at least project!
If he is only in the 9th grade even redfreddy must know that if he stays the course Sid will be long gone if and when this kid is ready for college!
When we first ran this article we were told, and under the impression that Rodney Purvis was 16 years old, however, we just got off the phone with the coach of CP3, Tony Edwards who informed us that Purvis is in fact 15 years old and won't turn 16 for sometime.
Not sure where the rumor of him being 16 got started, but it's in quite a few articles floating around. We just wanted to correct that and let everyone know.
My son goes to school with him he has had his 16th birthday already,no offense to TE but I see nothing wrong with rod being 16
Love the pack and your site Sid is the man as well!
Your child may go to school with Rodney however I gave birth to him. My son is 15 years old and doing quite well in school. At this stage in the game I am more concern with the classroom than basketball. Whatever his fate is in life I want to make certain he is properly prepared to maximize the opportunity. The rest will take care of itself.
I gave birth to him?
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