Rodney Purvis: 'Louisville Is In On My Recruiting Now'

Rodney Purvis is one of the hottest young athletes the high school game has to offer. 


He is a 6-foot-4 point guard that will make a big splash at any college he decides to attend in 2013.


He is a very talented player that exceeds his peers. He has showed his interest in Wake Forest but now he has also shown interest in the Louisville Cardinals.


Purvis on July 1st, posted on Twitter, "Louisville is in on my recruiting now."


That's great news for Cardinal fans. Purvis is a big-time athlete that is already getting attention from a lot of colleges his sophomore year in high school.


He now has Wake Forest and Louisville as potential homes thus far.


Click here to see the actual tweet. 


Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Quincy Miller: Where Will The No. 1 Forward in the 2011 Recruiting Class End Up?

Many may know Quincy Miller as "Miller Time" but start calling him big time. You know the old saying of “big time players, make big time plays?”

With just about 25 seconds left on the clock, Miller was on the wing and hit the game-winning three that won the U18 National team their gold medal.

That alone shows you his maturity as a basketball player. He is willing to step up and make plays when his team needs it.

Miller is a highly-touted recruit and after his performance on the U18 National team, he has to be considered the No. 1 overall prospect in the upcoming recruiting process.

Miller is a 6-foot-10 forward. He has the ability to play all five positions because of his athleticism, size and length. 

He has great handle with the ball at 6-foot-10. Not only that, but he can stretch the defense with his shooting.

If I had to compare Miller to another player, he would definitely be a Kevin Durant clone.

He has the ability to fill up the stats sheet and will have an instant impact wherever he decides to go.

He has a high basketball I.Q and is the type of player you can build your program around.

He has good vision and passing skills for his size. When penetrating the lane, he doesn’t force things. If he notices the defense is clamping on him, he’ll pass the ball to the open defender.

This shows you his ability to create for others and himself.

To go along with his size, he displays good speed. If you're running in transition, you feel safe with Miller running behind you. 

He finishes strong around the rim and has the ability to throw down power full dunks, or alley-oops on defenders.

On defense, he can be a great weak-side shot blocker. 


He comes out of nowhere for the rejection--or he will simply just swat your driving lay-up or shot. 


I've also had the chance to witness him block a dunk attempt.

He has the ability to lock down on defenders because of his size. He swats at the ball and gets a lot of steals because of his length.

In addition, he can clean the boards. He is always around the rim either cleaning up a miss, or grabbing a board and looking to push the ball.

A lot of teams are looking for an all-around talent like Miller and he could end up anywhere.

There is Kentucky, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Oklahoma, and Duke that has Miller's interest.

It's reported that he has a strong interest in the University of Kentucky.

However, don't count out other suitors. 


Big time Quincy Miller has become one of the hottest recruits because of his play this past year.

He will only continue to improve and give scouts more to drool about.

Check out his latest highlight video produced by ONEent

Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Collegiate Hoops: Florida State Seminoles 2010-11'' Season Preview

Florida State Seminoles

2009-10: 22-10

2009-10 ACC Record: 10-6

Florida State this past season played very good team basketball. Sophomore center Soloman Alabi led the team with 11.0 and everybody else fell in line. 

They had an 8-man rotation that worked out very well. 

They had a productive season in the ACC and will look to do the same next season. After an early first -round loss to Gonzaga in this year’s tournament, they should look to be more dominant next season

Key Returnees

The 'Noles were able to return most of their players from last season’s team that made the NCAA tournament.

They biggest return is Xavier Gibson. He is look on to replace Soloman Alabi in the post. He has great size at 6'11'' and when presented with minutes he will contribute in ways Alabi was able to.

Not to mention, they returned their second leading scorer Chris Singleton. Singleton will be looked on to be the scoring threat down low. He is 6'9'' and a versatile player in the post. The 'Noles will need a bigger scoring punch from him down in the low post.

Michael Snear will be an interesting player to watch. He can be a big-time player once he decides to take a bigger role in the offense.

Key Departures

The 'Noles will have to do without Alabi, Ryan Reid and Jordan DeMercy. The biggest lost was Alabi. The 7-foot-1 center decided his career as a 'Nole was over and joined the NBA draft prospects.

That put a huge hole in the frontcourt. 

He was a big target and could score down on the low block. He was also defensive. He grabbed down a lot of rebounds, blocked and altered shots.

His contributions will be greatly missed.

Reid and Demercy were solid contributors. They were great off the bench commodities and will be greatly missed as well.

The 'Noles were successful because of the services of these three players. They contributed a lot to this program.

Key additions

The 'Noles have a great recruiting class this year. They brought in two ESPNU top 100 recruits as well as junior college transfers.

Okaro White is the most versatile player brought in by Leonard Hamilton. White has the ability to handle the ball at 6'8'' which means he can step out and hit 15-to-20 footers.

Ian Miller is one of the best combo-guards in the country. He has the ability to score in the lane at will. On top of that, you have a guy that is committed to playing defense. 

Jon Kreft may be the biggest signing by Coach Hamilton. He is 7'0'' and will most likely be look on to help fill the shoes of Alabi.

Lastly, Bernard James is 6'9'' all-around talent. James is the type of guy you want running with you on the fast break. He is explosive and has the ability to score inside-out.

The 'Noles have a ton of talent that will turn them into a deep squad next season.

Prediction

Even after the departure of Alabi, the 'Noles are in perfect position to improve without him. They have a nice squad that is most likely going to present a much larger rotation next season.

They have a nice frontcourt that will highlight more than two players. It will go four and five players deep.

Not to mention, the guards of Florida State are starting to grow more and more. 

The x-factor for this upcoming season will be Michael Snear. He was a freshman last year that didn't have a big role in the offense. 

However, this year Florida State will require him to step up and make plays for the team. 

If he can get going and take on the leader role the 'Noles should be in perfect position to improve their squad.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Collegiate Hoops: Duke Blue Devils 2010-11'' Season Preview

Duke Blue Devils

2009-10 Record: 35-5

2009-10 ACC Record: 13-3

You couldn’t ask for a nicer season if you were a Duke fan. They throttled short-handed North Carolina twice.

They had some questionable loses but overall they were able to win the one’s that mattered.

At the end of the season, the Blue Devils were crowned National Champions. Before the NCAA tournament started, the consensus National Champions was either Kansas or Kentucky.

Nobody really mentioned Duke and they were able to prove them wrong. Many blame it on the easier road they faced.

However, no tournament bracket is easy. They faced tough teams especially in the Elite Eight on-to the National Championship.

A repeat is a huge possibility for Duke. They’re lock and loaded, ready for next season.

Key Returnees:

If you weren't a senior, you didn't leave. The Blue Devils returned eight of their players that won them a national championship.

The success of the Blue Devils hinged on whether Kyle Singler would return. He returned and that's why Duke is the instant favorites.

Singler and Nolan Smith will need to provide the same kind of success they did this season but more.

They also returned the two Plumlee twins in the post. That will benefit well both in the starting five and on the bench.

Key Departures:

The Blue Devils had a lot of key returnees but they also had big departures.

Jon Scheyer, the point guard and floor-general for Duke this past season. In the clutch, the ball was in his hands and he hit the big shots. Not only that, but he created for others around him.

He made sure the game was played at the speed they wanted it at--not what the other team preferred. 

They will undoubtedly miss his contributions.

In addition, Brian Zoubek has to be the biggest lost for the Blue Devils. 

He brought you defensive, and offensive rebounding. Not to mention, the ability to lock down on the opposing teams center. 

Despite the 7.7 rebounds, and 5.6 points; Zoubek was a special player to this program.

Both will be definitely missed.

Key Additions:

If you haven't heard of Kyrie Irving then you're not a real college basketball fan. Irving has been on Duke radar for a while. Once he decided that Duke was his destination in the fall, they were no longer looking for a Scheyer replacement.

Irving is one of the best point guards this 2010 recruiting class had to offer. Some go as far as saying he is the best. 

That is good news for any Duke fan. This recruiting class featured players like Josh Selby and Brandon Knight.

Joshua Hairston is a great post addition. He will give 110 percent on every possession. He works hard on offense but is better on defense. 

He times blocks and steals perfectly down on the low block. Not to mention, he is a high energy type of player.

Fatigue isn't a problem for him, he can go all day.

Tyler Thornton the 6-foot-2 point guard signed with Duke as well. Coach Krzyzewski not only added depth to the position, but placed a leader on the second unit. 

When the starters get winded the offense won't skip a beat. With Thornton's understanding and leadership, he should be able to run the second unit rather well.

Prediction: 

Most people foresee a repeat this upcoming year. The Blue Devils are loaded and the roster is going to be 11-men deep. 

That is great because nobody in college basketball will be able to play with an 11-man rotation like Duke will be able to. On top of that, they have the best point guard in the business.

They can score, rebound and defend well. 

Nothing has changed but the year for Duke. They will once be back in the National Championship and repeat like the Gators did back in 2004.

They're main focus should be improving their players. They're will be players that are looked upon to produce consistently that haven’t played significant minutes over the season.

If they are able to get players to step up, in the post mainly, they will have a productive National Championship season once again.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Kyrie Irving Starting at Point Guard Affects Nolan Smith

I'm sure college basketball junkies across the globe have been getting acquainted with Duke's newly acquired Kyrie Irving.

Irving is a five-star prospect that will make an instant impact for Duke. He is a true-point guard and the best one since Jay Williams.

The Blue Devils are going to call on Irving to fill the shoes of former point guard Jon Scheyer. He will grow out of Scheyer's shoes before the season even starts and that's great news for any Duke Fan or player--that's if your name isn't Nolan Smith.

Smith is heading into next season as one of the greatest seniors in college basketball. That is a great tag to have if you’re Smith. 

He brings you scoring from the wing in many ways. He has the ability to knock down three-point jumpers consistently.

Not to mention, he has the ability to finish around and at the rim. He likes to float the ball and throw up runners but that won't stop him from finishing strong at the rim.

But to be considered a top prospect at the next level the scouts will need to see his point guard abilities.

Smith is 6-foot-2 and is more of a shooting guard then point guard. 

He lacks elite vision and passing skills. Scouts thought one more year of college would be the perfect chance for Smith to curb the flaw.

However, that is where things get complicated. 

Duke brought in Irving to complete the point guard position. Not just Irving, but added depth with Tyler Thornton.

So do you really believe that he will have the time to show scouts he can run the offense?

That is the main thing holding him back from being a lottery pick. Not many teams are willing to take chances on a guy that is under-sized at the two and unable to run an offense.

This is another situation of Eric Bledsoe and John Wall—except, this is at Duke.

If Smith is unable to show his true-point guard skills, I doubt teams will take him seriously come draft time.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell