Rodney Purvis will miss the Huskies' season opener Friday against Bryant University because he played in more than one summer league, an NCAA violation.
The good news is that he'll be available for the rest of the season, which is welcome news to a young UConn team eager to get Purvis in the backcourt rotation with Ryan Boatright, Terrence Samuel, Omar Calhoun and Sam Cassell Jr. And Boatright, more than anyone else on the roster, is quite familiar with what it means to have to sit out for NCAA violations.
The senior point guard missed nine games as a freshman because of eligibility issues.
“I tell him, ‘You’re lucky it’s only one game. I sat out, like, 13.’ So, he’ll be alright," Boatright said, via the New Haven Register's David Borges.
It was nine games, not 13, but we take Boatright's point.
Coach Kevin Ollie added: "He's just got to wait 40 more minutes, and he’ll be alright."
Ollie was asked about the NCAA rule that prohibits playing in multiple summer leagues.
“I have no idea," he said. "Your guess is better than mine. I guess to keep guys out from playing three or four of them, but I have no idea.”
Meanwhile, the Huskies still have a game to play, Boatright's first without backcourt mate Shabazz Napier.
“I’m probably gonna have a few more shot attempts than I normally do," he said. “We’ve been waiting on this day for a long time, to be able to beat up on somebody else rather than on each other. I’m excited, and I think the team is excited.
"Winning a national championship, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot," Boatright continued. "But just going to UConn, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. I think whatever school you go to, when you see UConn on the schedule, you’re like, ‘That’s UConn.’ You’re gonna get everybody’s best shot.”
