This week we will be previewing the 2016-17 men’s basketball season. If you have MBB mailbag questions, let us know.
Rodney Purvis’s four years in college have been marked by contradiction: hometown hero, to NC State scapegoat; the “Ferrari in the garage,” to the next Shabazz; bench piece, to arguably UConn’s best player in the 2016 postseason.
Yet, as he prepares for his final season, Purvis may have finally shed the uncertainty that enveloped him during his collegiate career. His role is now crystal clear: he is the team’s leader, its captain and its star.
This is now Rodney Purvis’s team.
Yesterday, we detailed the somewhat slow progression of UConn’s most famous guards. The point was to tamp down the unrealistic expectations on sophomore Jalen Adams. Today, we’re using that same argument to predict a monster season for Purvis.
The narratives assigned to Purvis have belied his development as a player. Since his freshman season at NC State, Purvis has continuously improved in every aspect of his game, steadily transforming himself from an out-of-control athlete into a complete basketball player.
Each season, Purvis has seen his turnover rate decline, his assist rate improve and his offense become more efficient. Last year, he brought his athleticism and quickness to the defensive end of the court, serving as UConn’s best on-ball defender.
After an inconsistent shooting year in 2015, Purvis committed to improving his shot that summer. The result was a 38.5 percent season from three-point range (42 percent before his inexplicable benching).
Historically a poor free-throw shooter, Purvis crept up into the respectable range (65.7 percent) last year, closing the year making 85.7 percent from the line in the final ten games of the season.
Throughout his career, Purvis has managed to target the areas of his game that need work with laser-like focus, working to correct them and improving in ways that impact both his stats and the team’s.
If Purvis returns to the court this season showing similar improvement next month, he will be one of the best players in the conference.
The free throws still need to improve. Purvis will be leaned on heavily to force the issue on offense. He will need to get to the line and knock down free throws with regularity — 70 percent seems a reasonable target.
Ball-handling is another area where Purvis needs to show improvement. Fortunately for Purvis and the Huskies, Adams and incoming freshman Alterique Gilbert can relieve him of the lion’s share of the point guard duties, but maintaining a tight handle will be critical to Purvis getting his own shots and pushing the offense in transition.
Last season, as the Huskies struggled to gel on the court early in the year, Purvis was asked if the team had a leadership problem. “I am the leader,” he responded flatly. That was called into question when coach Kevin Ollie removed Purvis from the starting lineup 16 games into the season. The Huskies slogged through the close of the year, losing five of the 15 games in which Purvis was on the bench.
He responded by averaging 14 points in the team’s five postseason games, including their impassioned run through the AAC Tournament.
But through all the tumult, Purvis never complained. He never publicly challenged Ollie’s decision, made excuses or showed frustration.
In his time at UConn, Purvis has displayed unabashed love for the university, serving as the basketball program’s unofficial ambassador. He welcomes recruits, consistently supports the school’s other sports teams and gleefully returned to campus following a brief flirtation with the NBA draft this spring.
With a final offseason of preparation, a deep roster full of talented teammates and the freedom to lead the team as he sees fit, this could be the year that Purvis puts it all together.
