It’s never too early to get a head start on recruiting when you are at Kentucky, unless your name is Billy Gillispie. No, we are not taking a look at eighth graders, but we will get a head start on the 2013 class so you can get acclimated to some of the names. Today’s TN16YOYWBOW is: Rodney Purvis.
Purvis is a sophomore shooting guard from Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh, NC and plays for the CP3 All-Stars for AAU. He is the top ranked player in his class at shooting guard, and is the fourth-highest ranked player in his class overall. At 6-foot-3, Purvis is a slasher and uses his quickness to attack the basket. He is known as a scorer, as he is hard to stop in transition. He also has a good jump shot, out to about 15 feet. In transition, he is also able to make crisp passes. His aggresive attitude on the court is what allows him to score at will as well as rebound.
What he needs to work on more is his outside jumper, as he is an inconsistent shooter from beyond-the-arc. He also playes decent defense, but at times he can draw easy fouls. Without a doubt, he is a talented player that has room to improve over the next two years. It is never too early to look at these young players–and sometimes it is, at least in the case of Dominique Ferguson and KC Ross-Miller. But hopefully Purvis can be a consistent player both in the high school and AAU circuits. He is considering a flurry of schools, such as the North Carolina schools (UNC, Wake Forest, Duke, NC State), but is also looking at VCU, Baylor, South Carolina, Louisville, and yes–Kentucky. He will be a player to keep on eye on if Cal is going to keep bringing in the top ranked players every year.
Here is what ESPN has to say about Mr. Purvis. And no, we can not call him “never nervous”.
"Strengths:Rodney is a slasher supreme. He is impossible to keep out of the lane at times. He is very strong and a very good athlete. His quickness, strength, size and solid handle allow him to get where ever he wants on the court, whenever he wants. Purvis is very good in transition and is a big finisher. His jumper is respectable to 15 feet and Rodney is a solid rebounder with his strong body, excellent leaping ability and aggressiveness. He is an excellent passer and often finds his open teammates on his drives into the lane. He is wired to score and simply gets buckets when on the floor.Weaknesses:Purvis must continue to work on his jump shot. He must extend his range and become a consistent threat which will make his ability to slash even more dangerous. He is a capable defender but at times gambles for steals which leads to fouls and getting out of defensive position. Purvis could also be a better rebounder on both ends because of his tremendous athletic ability and quickness to the ball.Bottom Line:Purvis is a wing scorer that can get to the rim from anywhere on the floor and finish through contact. He is aggressive and plays in attack mode on both ends. He also has very good all around skill in the areas of ball handling and passing. Purvis is very talented and is productive on a consistent basis. Purvis is fun to watch and as he brings toughness and competitiveness to the floor each and every time out."
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