CHOCOWINITY — She likes mysteries, and as a future criminal justice major she is hoping to solve a few, which is ironic considering when on the basketball court no one has figured out how to slow down DeAndria Purdue in the paint.
With that in mind, it was no mystery that when the Southside senior tried out for the Pembroke basketball team the university was quick to offer her a scholarship.
Standing at nearly 6’0” tall, Purdue, who recently won gold in the shot put at the NCHSAA 1-A East Regional meet, displayed awesome strength and speed that allowed her to lead the Four Rivers Conference with 12.6 rebounds a night – nearly three more then the next highest player – while scoring 9.5 points per game for the Seahawks.
“I’m excited, it’s good,” Purdue said of her signing. “I like the school, the size of it and the community. … I just want to go there and be a good addition to the team.”
Purdue’s parents, Latanya and William Purdue, felt equally excited about their daughter’s future.
“I feel good because I know she can do whatever she puts her mind to doing,” Latanya said. “Whatever she wanted to do I was going to be behind her 100 percent.”
“I think I’m more excited about it than (DeAndria) was … I can’t wait to see her play,” beamed William. “Our first goal was education, but the secondary goal was basketball and she felt like if she was able to play basketball that would help occupy her time and give her something to do other than just class work.”
As a junior, Purdue was a central figure on a Seahawks team that won the most games in a single season in school history and made it all the way to the state finals and Southside coach Bill Lake was equally as proud as Purdue’s parents to see her move on and play at the next level.
“It’s wonderful,” Lake said. “Anytime you get a player and you watch her develop and come on and be a starter and a major contributor to your team then go on to the next level it’s very gratifying as a coach.”