UConn needs more from heralded transfer Rodney Purvis
Each time Kevin Ollie answered a question about NC State transfer Rodney Purvis during last season's national title run, the UConn coach referred to the former McDonald's All-American as "a Ferrari sitting in the garage that I can't drive."
The Ferrari finally emerged from the garage this November, but so far Ollie hasn't gotten enough mileage out of it.
In the six games Purvis has played so far this season, he is scoring a modest 7.2 points per game, shooting only 35.1 percent from the field and averaging more turnovers than assists. He also was suspended for UConn's season opener against Bryant and sat out against Texas as a result of a lingering sprained ankle that was hampering his ability to attack the rim.
Purvis was healthy for UConn's 66-56 loss to Duke on Thursday night, but the sophomore wing still wasn't very effective. On a night when the Huskies desperately needed other scorers to emerge in support of star guard Ryan Boatright, Purvis played 30 minutes but sank only 4 of 11 shots and finished with eight points and three turnovers.
That sort of stat line isn't what Purvis envisioned when he left NC State after starting 23 games as a freshman and averaging 8.3 points. At the time he believed he could have accomplished more in an offense that offered him more opportunities to create off the dribble, but so far he has played a similar role at UConn and produced slightly less.
Season-long struggles from Purvis are one of several factors that have contributed to UConn's disappointing 4-4 start. Last year's national champs need scorers to emerge to help replace Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Niels Giffey, but so far the Huskies are lacking enough reliable options besides Boatright.
UConn is shooting only 29.5 percent from behind the arc and isn't generating enough free throw attempts or second-chance points either. Freshman Daniel Hamilton has performed well as a secondary perimeter threat and Amida Brimah had been making strides finishing around the rim prior to his scoreless game against Duke, but nobody else has delivered consistent production.
The most frustrating part about Thursday's loss for UConn was that the Huskies played well strong enough defense to spring a massive upset if they just could have generated a little more scoring.
Aggressive defense from UConn limited Duke to 37.5 percent shooting and forced 19 Blue Devils turnovers, but despite 22 points from Boatright and a surprising 14 from forward Kentan Facey, the Huskies couldn't take advantage. Late in the second half, Duke was sending two defenders at Boatright to get the ball out of his hands because Mike Kryzewski preferred any other player creating for the Huskies.
There are a handful of players capable of filling that scoring void for UConn going forward.
Maybe Omar Calhoun will eventually develop into more than a bit player now that he's finally healthy. Maybe Hamilton will steadily improve his already-solid production as he gains experience. Maybe Brimah will become more consistent and continue to flourish.
Nonetheless, the player most capable of giving UConn more is Purvis. The Huskies need their Ferrari to stop performing like a Ford.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
