Rodney Purvis prepares to announce

Friday is a big, big day for NC State.

Why? Per the Raleigh News & Observer, that's when Rodney Purvis, the No. 16-ranked player in the class of 2012 according to ESPN Recruiting, will announce his collegiate decision. At various points in his recruitment, Purvis has considered Missouri, Memphis, Virginia, Ohio State, Virginia Commonwealth and even -- get this -- North Carolina Central. (Nothing wrong with a little local love, right?) He originally committed to Louisville before deciding to consider other options, and those options, as of now, seem to have narrowed to two schools: Connecticut and NC State.

If Connecticut were to land Purvis, it'd be another excellent signing in a remarkably successful two-year period for Jim Calhoun. In other words: ho hum. But if Purvis commits to NC State, he'd be the first, best recruit of the Mark Gottfried era, a talented player who could immediately improve the Wolfpack's present lot and a symbolic sign of positive progress to come. His impact would be felt on the floor and off.

Fortunately for NC State, it appears Purvis is leaning toward his hometown school. As our own Dave Telep blogged today:

Anything's possible, but the buzz in Raleighwood points toward NC State. Purvis was a key target of Mark Gottfried and he's spent quite a bit of time on the Pack's campus. Should Purvis pick the Pack on Friday, it would be mission accomplished for Gottfried.

Purvis, one of the leading scorers in the Nike EYBL and potential McDonald's All-American, used the local paper as an outlet to spread the word about his decision. Will the local kid remain local for college?

It's looking good, but as Dave wrote, anything can happen. In the meantime, all you anxious NC State fans may begin your superstitious recruiting rituals ... now. (Aw, who am I kidding? You're already way ahead of me, aren't you?)

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/35934/rodney-purvis-prepares-to-announce

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