Wolfpack Recruiting Tidbits

- 2010 Wolfpack commit Ryan Harrow is scheduled to be in Wilson, North Carolina (@ Barton College) this Saturday to participate in the ScoutsFocus.com Elite 80 Fall Showcase. This would be a good chance to catch a glimpse of Harrow if you haven't had the chance yet (and if you're not planning on attending the NC State vs. Duke football game). You have to give it to Ryan for constantly attending showcases and camps such as this one. He is never satisfied and has publically stated that he attends camps like these because it is his goal to be ranked as high as he can in the 2010 class and also play with other elite players and let them know why he chose NC State. (We've mentioned before, Harrow is certainly one of the Pack's best recruiters.) Luke Cothron is also scheduled to appear at the showcase, but we have not confirmed that yet. Dez Wells and Quincy Miller, were both on tap to attend, however, Wells has pulled out and Miller is getting over a small injury at the moment, so neither will be there this weekend. Stay tuned, because although Ryan is slated to be in attendence, things can always change and we wouldn't want you driving all the way to Wilson and missing the football game if no State recruits were there to watch. The event will get started at 9:30am.

- Speaking of Luke Cothron, the coaching staff visited with the 2010 PF today and it reportedly went really well. As we mentioned earlier, NC State is the leader right now in the Cothron sweepstakes and that has not changed. Things with Cothron are certainly heating up and we'll be there every step of the way to let you know the latest on Luke.

- We spoke with Tony Edwards, the coach of the CP3 all-stars about 2011 prospect Dez Wells and 2013's Rodney Purvis. We'll have an in-depth interview with Tony up here in the next week, but we did want to clear something up about the 2013 prospect, Purvis. In the article we reported that he was about to turn 16, which was what we were told, however, Edwards let us know that Rodney is in fact only 15 years old and will not turn 16 until February. There were a lot of questions about why he was so old for an incoming freshman. This should clear up all of that.

RECRUIT TO WATCH: Rodney Purvis (2013)

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.