Tyrek Coger moved in with Rodney Purvis and his mother in Raleigh, N.C., when he was 14 or 15 years old.
Purvis’ mother, Shanda McNair, was Tyrek’s godmother and Rodney considered him a brother.
After Coger tragically passed away on July 21 following a team workout at Oklahoma State, Purvis decided he would wear his No. 15 during the 2016-17 season to honor his fallen brother.
Coger would have worn that number at Oklahoma State this season after transferring from Cape Fear Community College in North Carolina.
“[It’s] just something me and my mom discussed,” Purvis told SNY.tv. “He never got his shot to display all the hard work he put in on the collegiate level. Therefore I feel it’s only right that I represent him by wearing 15, which is the number he was going to wear. He was the brother I never had and it’s the least I can do by keep his legacy alive.”
Purvis averaged 12.8 points last season at UConn.
As Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News noted, Purvis previously wore No. 44 in honor of another fallen friend.
“My teammate Detrique Baker passed away in a a car accident a few years back,” Purvis said.
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