Storrs — Something deep inside pushed Rodney Purvis toward returning to UConn for his final season of eligibility.

Pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA could wait.

"It was like my heart was still here for some reason," Purvis said Monday inside the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center. "I felt like my time here wasn't up yet. I feel like I accomplished a few things since I've been. I just feel like God had something better for me here.

"Right now, I don't know what that is. With working out all summer and coming in with my teammates, I feel like everything is going to play out for the best."

His decision to head back to UConn after exploring his draft possibilities was welcome news to coach Kevin Ollie. Purvis wasn't expected to be drafted.

Entering his fifth season as head coach, Ollie will have the youngest team of his tenure. Eight of the 11 scholarship players are either freshmen or sophomores. Purvis joins Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey as the only upperclassmen. Brimah also tested the draft waters and waited right up to the deadline in late May before announcing his plans.

"I'm glad that Rodney came back and Amida came back," Ollie said. "They kind of give us some of that stability as seniors. Rodney played outstanding in the NCAA tournament. I think he averaged like 18 points and shot over 50 percent from three. Hopefully, he still has that confidence."

Purvis, a 6-foot-4 guard, brings vital leadership, experience, toughness and point production as the top returning scorer at 12.8 per game. He's been working on expanding his all-around game and improving his finishing skills around the basket. His goal is to be the one of the best defenders in the country.

"The summer is not even over," Purvis said. "So I've got a lot more time to get better."

He's one of two returning players, along with sophomore Jalen Adams, who appeared in all 36 games last season.

The 22-year-old Purvis is regularly reminded that he's a veteran. He told a story about something that recently happened while attending Chris Paul's CP3 Elite Guard Camp in Winston Salem, N.C. Adams also was there.

"It's kind of funny," Purvis said. "I remember Jalen Brunson from Villanova, he was running down the court. He was like, 'I've got the old head.' So I was like the old guy there. The last time I was there I was like the young guy there.

"... It was a great experience. There was a lot of great young talent there. It was the best of the best point guards in college basketball."

The Huskies should be an interesting team this season. The recruiting class of Alterique Gilbert, Vance Jackson, Mamadou Diarra, Juwan Durham and Christian Vital, a St. Thomas More graduate, is ranked in the top 10 nationally. Terry Larrier, a highly-touted transfer from Virginia Commonwealth, will be eligible to play after sitting out a year.

Gilbert is still recovering from May shoulder surgery. He's making progress, doing some individual workouts. He could be ready for full contact drills by August or September. Durham, who had surgery on both knees while at Tampa (Fla.) Prep, is further away from resuming basketball activities. He may ultimately redshirt.

There will be a breaking in period with this young team. The Huskies lost six players from last season when they won the program's first American Athletic Conference tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"All of them seem really level-headed and all good guys," Purvis said of the freshmen. "It feels like it's a new place with the new energy that's in the building. ... I haven't been on a team with this many young guys, so it's really different. I'm just excited to see the guys work out."

News and notes

• Ollie expects to fill the assistant coaching job left vacant by the departure of Karl Hobbs, who joined Steve Pikiell's staff at Rutgers, in the next few weeks. Until someone is hired, director of basketball administration Kevin Freeman, a candidate for the opening, can go out on the recruiting trail. ... UConn's complete non-conference schedule will be released in the near future. The Huskies will play at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on the way out to the Maui Invitational, which runs from Nov. 21-23 in Hawaii. ... Ollie called Daniel Hamilton landing in Oklahoma City after being drafted in the second round a good opportunity for the former Husky. "Like everything else, you've got to develop," Ollie said. "Oklahoma City is a great franchise, great organization. They're going to do a great job with him."

g.keefe@theday.com