Does Rodney Purvis take N.C. State from Good to Great?

Usually when you hear stories of ACC teams going from rich to richer, it tends to involve one of two teams; Duke or North Carolina. Well the latest of such news affects neither, as in-state rival and potential conference favorite North Carolina State has caught a big break this week.

Rodney Purvis, a top-20 player in ESPN’s Class of 2012, has been declared eligible to join the Wolfpack this season; taking a team that made the Sweet 16 last season from good, to pretty great.

Purvis, a 6’4 shooting guard from Raleigh, North Carolina, is as perfect of a preseason pick-up as NC State head coach Mark Gottfried could have hoped for heading into this season. With great speed and even sharper skills, he’ll instantly make an impact playing next to Lorenzo Brown, arguably the best point guard in the conference. Purvis will join a team with four-returning starters from last season, including forward C.J. Leslie, who made Second Team All-ACC in 2012, and is a favorite for ACC Player of  the Year.

Not to make this story about Duke or UNC, but in a season where both of those teams were expected to be looking up at NC State, this move should only worry those teams more. Purvis is probably the most talented guard to join the conference this season, and with the ability to score and distribute with similar efficiency, his high basketball IQ and physical attributes will be an ideal fit for this team focused on building on last seasons success.

As much as NC State is coming off of a high the way they ended their previous season, their newest addition has enjoyed some recent success of his own. Purvis was named Mr. Basketball in North Carolina, as well as a McDonald’s All-American, and maybe above all else, he was a member of the United States U-18 Team that won gold in this past summer’s FIBA Americas games. Purvis is the type of player that most teams would look for to carry a team in his first year, and having the ability to learn the game and find a role with this talented team, he may not have to carry anything, but scissors to net, maybe even multiple times this coming season.

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