The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE honestly hate to be going to any other uni- versity in the country," Purvis said. "NC State is 15 minutes from my house, and the impact coach Mark Gottfried has made makes me not want to go anywhere else at this point." Purvis, whom Rivals.com ranked as the No. 12 overall player in the country, was excited when Leslie returned to NC State. The Wolfpack could be ranked in the top 15 in the country and considered the preseason ACC favorite next winter. "I can only imagine, and I think about it every single day," the 6-4, 195-pound Pur- vis said. "I can't sleep at night just thinking about it." Warren knows a thing or two about the history of NC State basketball and its two national championship teams in 1974 and 1983. Warren's father, Tony Warren Sr., played for the Wolfpack in the late 1970s, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Tony Jr. would also play for NCSU. North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas, Georgetown and oth- ers recruited Warren hard, before he nar- rowed his list down to the Wolfpack and Hoyas. Warren eventually picked NC State on Nov. 2, 2011. Warren, who grew up in Durham before moving to Raleigh, left the state to attend Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brews- ter Academy for his senior year. The 6-8, 230-pound Warren rose up Rivals.com's rankings to finish No. 17 overall in the country. ESPN.com's Andy Katz has NC State ranked No. 6 in his "early" preseason poll, and the strength of the team is a positive for the trio of signees. "Because next year's team is going to be so highly touted, and they'll be relying heavily on the returnees, the story line isn't going to be about having a great freshmen class coming in to make State better," said Rob Harrington of Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook. "They are already good. These guys will get to develop at the pace that elite program freshman get to develop at. "It isn't a savior class, which people might have thought at one point. It doesn't have to be. That speaks to the on-going continuity that they have established." ■ Recruiting Rankings As of April 30 NC State's Team Rivals.com Scout.com ESPN.com MaxPreps.com National Rank 4 5 9 10 Rodney Purvis, a 6-4, 195-pound shooting guard from Raleigh, is the highest-rated recruit in The Recruiting Gurus Praise NC State's Class is high on NC State's trio of signees – 6-8 small forward Tony Warren, 5-11 point guard Tyler Lewis and 6-4 two guard Rodney Purvis. Oettinger has ranked Warren as one of the top 10 players in the class of 2012 during his senior year. "Warren and [UCLA signee] Shabazz Muhammad are the best contested shooters in the class," Oettinger said. "There are plenty of people who can beat you in a game of horse when you are shooting wide open. There are not many people who can hit difficult shots when they are being guarded closely, and Warren is one of those people who can do that. He has a gift, and that bumps him ahead of a lot of people." Oettinger predicts Purvis and Lewis will form a quality backcourt of the future for the Wolfpack, but Purvis' time in the starting lineup could come sooner rather than later. "Purvis is the one that will definitely move into the starting lineup," Oettinger said. "He can do that, and he'll do a fine job. The only question on him is his consistency on his jump shot. It is better than it was, still isn't great, but good enough that it has to be respected. That will enable him to drive successfully. He is just so quick and strong." Lewis' ability to make teammates around him play better has evoked memories of former NCSU standout point guard Chris Corchiani. "He doesn't turn the ball over, and he sees the court extremely well," Oettinger said. "He gets the ball to his scorers at the right time and the right place. He has a knack for doing that, and he's a leader too. "His first year, he'll be a very good backup point guard, and then he'll eventually step into the lineup and he'll be offensive style. "Purvis fits the way they play, and he'll be especially valuable now because State was willing to run this year," fine. He'll be another Chris Corchiani maybe, which would be pretty doggone good." Rob Harrington of Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook expects Purvis to make a seamless transition to NC State's ing Tyler his whole life, saying he's not big enough or he's not strong enough. He keeps on chugging along. I think he's so committed to maximizing his ability." Harrington said. "That is the game he has to play. If he was just doing catch and shooting, he won't live up to his ability there, but he won't have to do that. He can be a transition scorer and an ace defensive player." Lewis will likely slide into the role that fifth-year senior point guard Alex Johnson fulfilled for NC State this past season. Johnson played with Williams and Brown in a rotation. "I think Tyler will handle his role just fine," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said. "People have been doubt- MAY 2012 ■ 23 Brick Oettinger of Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook, one of the most respected recruiting analysts in the country, NC State's class of 2012, checking in at No. 12 in Rivals.com's national rankings. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL