Recruiting Wire | 2023 Boiler Commit Myles Colvin | Interview & Overview

Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at some recruits that Coach Matt Painter and his staff are looking at or have committed in the incoming classes. In this series we provide an overview of the player, provide a comparison to a former Purdue basketball player, where Purdue stands with the recruit, and hopefully hear from the player or one of their coaches. Let’s start off with Purdue’s only 2023 incoming freshman Myles Colvin.

Overview:

Myles Colvin, the 69th overall rated player in the class of 2023, is the only incoming freshman in his class for Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers. Colvin is a highly regarded shooting guard from Heritage Christian High School who is the 8th overall rated at his position and the 3rd rated player in Indiana. Colvin is the son of former Purdue football and NFL player Roosevelt Colvin and also the younger brother of Raven Colvin who is a standout on the nationally recognized volleyball team. Myles will be the only incoming player in the 2023 class but due to redshirts to William Berg and Camden Heide, that 2023 class will now be three deep.

Player Comparison:

This is a difficult one because Purdue hasn’t recruited the types of athletes that Colvin is with high frequency. I could pick a handful of guys that played at different major schools like UNC, Kansas, Duke, IU, or even Illinois that would be a good comparison but a lot of Purdue fans may not know who that guy was. So, for Colvin I’m going to provide a multi-player comparison from Purdue and a more overall single comparison for a guy outside of the program.

I think there are parts to Colvin’s game that remind me of both E’Twaun Moore and of Jaden Ivey. From an athleticism standpoint, it is hard not to immediatly think of of Jaden Ivey. He is explosive off the floor and finishes at the rim easily and with authority. He can also be used as a primary ball handler in the open floor in a fast break situation or to isolate certain players much like Ivey was used as a sophomore. Colvin can get up and down the floor very fast but I don’t think he has the elite speed that Ivey showed from end to end at times, especially with the ball in his hands (I just haven’t quite seen it as Colvin tends to use hesitations and angles a bit more than Ivey did). Colvin is also quite a bit bigger at 6’5 and 200 pounds whereas Ivey came into Purdue at around 6’2 and 175-180 pounds.

I also think Colvin has some E’Twaun Moore to his game in how fluid and effortless he looks on the floor at times. He has a high release on his jump shot like Moore did and moves well without the ball and can catch and shoot with a consistent release. Myles also just has that really even tempered demeanor that Moore had and rarely looks like he gets rattled or overly emotional. You can see the fluid movement in his ability to catch, turn, and shoot in the video below that shows a good foundation of fundamentals that will translate quickly to the college game in Purdue’s offense that requires wings and guards to be able to come off screens ready to shoot.

As for a single player comparison, I asked current Purdue Basketball Color Analyst and former player Bobby Riddell for a comparison. He and I both agreed that Colvin reminds us of former Kansas/Houston player and current New York Knick Quentin Grimes. Grimes was a 6’5, 200 pound combo guard coming out of Texas and was ranked the 10th overall recruit in the 2018 class. As a high school player, Grimes showed great athleticism and a nice touch around the rim along with explosive dunks but he also showed fluidity in catch and shoot situations and being able to control the ball as a primary ball handler. Grimes also appeared to have a good motor on the defensive end and showed an ability to make a good pass to open teammates off drives. Check out the videos below to compare the two players a little bit more.

Where Does Purdue Stand?
Colvin committed to the Boilers in July of 2021 and recently signed his National Letter of Intent meaning he will join the Boilers in the summer of 2023 when summer workouts begin.

Interview:

Myles was kind enough to set aside time to answer some questions for us in the midst of his senior season at Heritage Christian that has him in the short conversation for Indiana’s 2023 Mr. Basketball.

Hammer and Rails: This is your final season at Heritage Christian. How is your senior season going so far?

Myles Colvin: “I think my season started out a little rough and my team was trying to figure out who we are and what we need to be doing. We have turned it around after starting 0-3 and we are .500 now currently. We have started playing well and playing as a team and are figuring some things out now.

As a vocal leader I have definitely stepped up. I definitely tried to work on that last year but i really lead by example. Just showing guys you get what you put in to things but being a vocal leader it adds another step to my game. Being out there and being a player using my abilities to grow their game and not just mine.’

H&R: Did you play any other sports growing up or have you been solely focused on basketball for quite a long time?

M.C: ‘I started off in basketball and I didn’t start playing football until 4th or 5th grade while also running track in the summer. That’s something that not a lot of people know about me that I used to run track and I used to do long jump. I think that’s where I really got my competitive mindset being around a lot of athletes where I used to run against people who are professional track athletes now. Being able to use my body in those three different sports definitely helped develop the athlete that I am now. I stopped playing football after my 8th grade year and I think I stopped running track around 7th grade year. That was about the time I started to grow and my athletic ability started to grow so I had to talk to my dad and he thought basketball would be where my best interest would be. He saw how fast I was growing and what I could be and I’m obviously really happy I listened to him.’

H&R: You obviously come from a very pro-Purdue family with your father (Roosevelt) playing football and your sister (Raven) playing volleyball at Purdue. So many young players tend to want to create their own path but what was it about Purdue for you personally that led you to commit to Coach Painter and the Boilers?

M.C: I think what was big was program history and previous success shows they are capable of winning and producing players. I think Coach Painter and the staff do a really good job of producing high level basketball players and not just producing them but making them better players than when they came in. The culture as well; I’ve been around the program so long, just seeing what they do and how they do it; the support from the fanbase that not a lot of programs have when you compare them to Purdue. I think Purdue just does a good job of supporting the people that are around and in the program, that was just something that I looked at. Every time I think about it I get chills just being able to play for one of the best programs in the country is just such a blessing.’

H&R: What was it about Purdue that really pushed them ahead of the other programs that were recruiting you that led you to commit between your sophomore and junior seasons? Was it that you were already so familiar with them or did Coach Painter just do a great job selling you on his vision for you?

M.C: ‘I think it was both. I think they saw the potential in me and how high of a ceiling that I have and just knowing that I am coming from a Purdue family so they probably took advantage of that. I talked to Coach Brantley a lot and he was one of the main reasons why I committed. He actually took the time to get to know me and that is something other colleges didn’t do. They didn’t really get to know me and it was straight basketball talk but with Coach Brantley and the other staff it was personally stuff and asking stuff about outside of basketball. That really stuck out to me.

H&R: Bobby Riddell and I spoke briefly and we thought that former Houston Cougar and current New York Knick Quentin Grimes is a great comparison for you as a player coming into college. Would you agree with that or do you see yourself comparing to someone else?

M.C: ‘I’m not too familiar with him but someone that I like to model my game after is Paul George. He is just a very skilled guard and he is a three way scorer where he can attack the basket, get to his midrange a lot, and can get to his sports. That’s something I want to be able to do.’

H&R: What do you think you do best as a player right now? What is something you look forward to the coaching staff at Purdue helping you to improve on?

M.C: ‘I think that I can attack the basketball, I can get to the midrange, I can come off screens, hit three points. I think my offensive game is really well rounded and I think I have pretty good defense so I think I have a lot of capabilities to come in and play. Letting the coaches help me take my whole game to the next level and soaking in everything Coach Painter and the staff has to tell me. Having the opportunity and taking advantage of that is important.’

H&R: Purdue is in the midst of another really good season and could potentially return everyone outside of David Jenkins Jr. next season. Where do you think you fit into that team next season or what role do you think you can carve out for yourself?

M.C: ‘If I had to say anything it would be a guy who they could go for a quick bucket and change the momentum of the game. Like I said earlier, my game is really versatile and I can do a lot of things on the court. My game has gotten to a point where I have a lot of alternate ways to go get a bucket where if you stop one thing that I can use something else. I can use my abilities to get other people the ball to score as well.’

H&R: Mackey Arena is obviously a special place and you’ve attended a few games over the years. The first time you come down the tunnel and hear your name over the PA, what do you think that moment will mean to you?

M.C: ‘It is obviously got to be a very special moment for me. A lot of work that I have put toward getting to that moment and obviously I’m going to be nervous because it’s going to be my first opportunity to play on the court with the fans in the stands being loud. It’s going to be a very special moment and key memory to my life because of how special Purdue is to me and my family.