Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

North Carolina State University

Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

Boys Basketball: Ravenscroft vs. Upper Room (Jan. 18, 2012)

Rodney Purvis played his high school ball at Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh.

Aug 4, 2012

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Raleigh, N.C. — Freshman Rodney Purvis will not go to Spain for exhibition basketball with his North Carolina State University teammates Sunday because questions remain about the academic rigor of his high school, Raleigh's Upper Room Christian Academy.

The NCAA reviews eligibility for all incoming student-athletes and, for new high schools like Upper Room, that review can take awhile. Purvis' Class of 2012 was the first to graduate from Upper Room.

To play in college, a student-athlete must a minimum number of high school credits in core courses. According to the NCAA Eligibility Center, Upper Room's core course requirements are "under an extended evaluation period to determine it it meets the academic requirements.

“Obviously the timing is not ideal,” said Wolfpack head men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried. “I’m disappointed he will not travel Sunday. He could join us once the process is completed, but my primary focus is making sure Rodney is ready to pursue his goals at NC State over the next four years.”

He has said that Purvis, along with fellow freshmen, Tyler Lewis and T.J. Warren, impressed in summer workouts. He expected the Spanish trip to continue their improvement.

“I think they’re picking things up pretty quickly,” Gottfried said. “We’re throwing a lot at them. They aren’t going to learn it all in a day or a week, but that’s the advantage of having a summer tour is that they get to practice it and they get the games.”

The team will play five games against club and professional squads during its 10-day trip to Spain, which will run Aug. 5-15.

Web Editor: Jodi Leese Glusco

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RE: Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

Wait a minute, Avie Lester is the AD for Upper Room? Better believe if my favorite color was red, I spin some whimsical conspiracy with that information.
- Posted by tdouble232323

In other words, it is OK for you guys to get suspicious about coincidences like this, but when we do it, we're delusional.

Now imagine NC State under NCAA investigation, and the lead investigator was an NC State graduate and HUGE State football fan. That's the kind of thing that riled us up about Carolina's investigation, but according to you guys, it was delusional to even suggest a conflict of interest there. Pictures surfaced of the lead investigator posing wearing white and Carolina blue clothing at a Carolina football game, posing with Ramses the sheep. And we're supposed to believe THAT guy was going to put his heart and soul into investigating the program he loves so dearly? Now THAT was a conspiracy, friend!

Avie is the AD of a high school. Unless you have something beyond that, there is no reason to be suspicious of anything. Now if Purvis was flunking out in March, but then found a way to graduate with honors, and Avie was hired on March 1st, then you might have yourself a reasonable suspicion. Avie being the AD (that alone) is not reason for suspicion.

RE: Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

Harrick is your regular choir boy, understandable. I get the feeling that many are assuming that since they have "Christian" in their school name that everything is on the up and up. Maybe NCSU can go the Chris Washburn route with Purvis.

"You already signed, you're already in school, you just have to take the test just to get into college," Washburn said later. When they told me it didn't matter what score I was getting, I went in for about 22 minutes. I just marked down [answers]..mark, mark, mark."
- Posted by tdouble232323

No, it's probably just the little thing that the school has already passed the state's accreditation requirements, and this just seems pretty senseless. Why does the NCAA even bother trying to vette out individual courses on their own, instead of taking the state's word for it?

Besides, since when does the NCAA care about academics? We learned from Carolina's scandal that the NCAA doesn't care a bit about academics and academic eligibility.

NCAA

The NCAA has entirely WAY to much power. It has become a monstrous cancer that wants to overtake the very vital parts of the only system it can exist in. Soon they will be controling middle schools and elementary schools. There is no checks and balance with the NCAA.

RE: Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

Wait a minute, Avie Lester is the AD for Upper Room? Better believe if my favorite color was red, I spin some whimsical conspiracy with that information.

RE: Purvis will stay behind when State goes to Spain

Harrick is your regular choir boy, understandable. I get the feeling that many are assuming that since they have "Christian" in their school name that everything is on the up and up. Maybe NCSU can go the Chris Washburn route with Purvis.

"You already signed, you're already in school, you just have to take the test just to get into college," Washburn said later. When they told me it didn't matter what score I was getting, I went in for about 22 minutes. I just marked down [answers]..mark, mark, mark."

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