Myles Colvin set to add to family legacy at Purdue
INDIANAPOLIS (BVM) – Myles Colvin is a self-described “late bloomer” in the game of basketball. However, over the past year, his game has taken off to the point where he has become one of the top Class of 2023 prospects in the country, and someone who is seen as having the skill, and the talent, to perhaps play in the NBA someday.
“I think I started thinking that I was capable of making it to the NBA around this time last year,” Colvin said. “Obviously, I don’t really know what God’s plan is for me or what his end goal is. But my plan is to go to college for however long that will be, and Lord willing, I’ll go to the NBA and play for however long I can.”
If Colvin indeed gets to that point, he won’t be the first in his immediate family to play professional sports. His father, Rosevelt Colvin, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1999. After four seasons in the Windy City, Rosevelt finished his 10-year NFL career with the New England Patriots where he won two Super Bowl championships.
In his NFL career, Rosevelt racked up 52.5 sacks and 373 total tackles. Seeing his father have that kind of success at the highest level has inspired Myles to work hard so he can someday have the same opportunity.
“It definitely inspires me just seeing all the hard work and dedication it takes,” Myles said. “He tells me all the things he had to do to get to the level he played at, especially with the Patriots and how good of a team that was … It’s definitely an advantage having him as my father and he’s going to push me and put me in my best interest for everything I’m doing.
“On the athletic side, he’s taught me all the important things of playing sports like taking care of your body, getting proper rest, hydrating, all that stuff. I think he also did a good job of helping with my life outside of basketball. He does a good job comparing basketball, and sports in general, to life. What you put into something is what you get out of it and I think that’s really important.”
After starring at Broad Ripple High School, Rosevelt played his college football at Purdue. In a year, Myles will follow the same path as he takes the basketball court for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers.
“I probably had about 10-12 schools hit me up in total,” Myles said. “Obviously, Purdue was one of them and they were my top option all the way around, not just because my father went there and my sister is going there right now. They were legitimately the best option for my game.”
Myles’ recruiting began at the start of his sophomore year of high school, and picked up throughout the ensuing months. He had interest from the likes of Butler, Miami (OH), Indiana and Tulane, and was prepared to talk with Virginia and Notre Dame as well. However, Purdue always stood out as the best choice.
“They showed me that they wanted me and that’s something that I took to heart,” Myles added. “That was the difference between all the other schools. Coach Painter told me that I’ll have to work for everything that I’ll have, and that’s something that I really want to have in my mind, not just for basketball, but for life.”
While it wasn’t necessarily a driving factor in Myles’ decision, it doesn’t hurt that his sister, Raven, is currently at Purdue, starring on the Boilermakers’ volleyball team. Seeing Raven make the transition to becoming a college athlete has also been beneficial for the basketball standout.
“Seeing her playing in one of the best conferences in the country, it was really good seeing her compete and seeing her talent,” Myles said. “It just gave me goosebumps, thinking about my opportunities and playing for one of the best colleges in the country. It made me think about the opportunities I’ll have just because of the great history of Purdue basketball.”
Many may have expected Myles to play football like his father. He did compete in the sport until eighth grade while also running track when younger, but basketball always stood out, in part because Myles saw Rosevelt’s passion for that sport as well.
“The thing that really attracted me to playing it was my dad,” Myles said. “My dad had a love for the game of basketball. I think him just being around it, me being around it, I just fell in love with it the more I played it.”
When he moved to Indiana early in his elementary school years, Myles took up the sport. He got better and better throughout his youth, playing for an AAU program created by his dad called Indy Nets.
“I think the club helped me build my game just based off being one of the best players on the team,” Myles said. “I’ve been able to be around people that will help me mold my game to what it will be when I get to Purdue or in the future. It’s really an advantage.”
Myles’ game has continued to progress at Heritage Christian School as well. He saw a good amount of varsity minutes as a freshman, but took a big leap as a sophomore, averaging 18.5 points and 6.2 rebounds. It was that year he began growing into his body, jumping higher and getting more athletic. As the college offers began rolling in at the same time, the 6-foot-5 guard realized his true potential.
With an increase in talent level comes an increase in defensive attention, and that’s what Myles faced in his junior year. However, it didn’t impact him much, as he averaged 18.4 points while making some truly eye-opening plays.
Gotta be better…. BUT THE KIDS DIFFERENT!!! #headtaps 😂 #mylesjcolvin pic.twitter.com/UI52scbmhW
— Rosevelt Colvin (@rcolvin3) December 5, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ https://t.co/2YIuc7qCNN
— Myles J. Colvin (@mylesjcolvin) February 19, 2022
At the same time, the Heritage Christian star put a greater emphasis on getting his team involved as well, and impacting the game beyond just scoring.
“Everyone is going to know that I’m going to get the ball and I’m going to score,” Myles said. “It really comes down to playing with my team. All eyes are on me … But what other ways can I affect the game in a positive way?”
When all was said and done, Myles was honored as one of the top players in the state by being named an Indiana Junior All-Star. In June, he got to showcase his talent further as he competed in the all-star games against the best from Kentucky as well as the top seniors from Indiana. Oftentimes, he was the best player on the floor.
DUNK OF THE NIGHT…👀
Purdue commit Myles Colvin takes flight for the @indallstars juniors with a big time one hand flush for 2 of his team high 15 pts vs All Star seniors. @mylesjcolvin pic.twitter.com/SfUtXJMvBH
— (812)-H🏀🏀PS! (@BbalEvv) June 9, 2022
“I think that I proved that I was the best 2023 player in the state of Indiana,” Myles said. “I played really good both games and I think it was a really good experience playing with those kids because Indiana is a really big basketball state. We take this event very highly and I can’t wait to play it next year.”
Aided by a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Myles has incredible athleticism that allows him to attack the basket, finish at the rim, and score well in transition. This in addition to his tremendous shooting and rebounding.
All of his skills were on full display yet again last month first at Purdue’s team camp, and as he got to compete in the NBPA Top 100 Camp, pitting him up against some of the best players in the country.
Kicking off coverage from the 2022 NBPA Top 100 camp. In front of 250+ colleges, national media & scouts from all 30 NBA teams, @boilerball commit @mylesjcolvin 1st game stat line 90-69 vic, lead his team in scoring with 15pts on 5-7 FG, 3/3 from 3PT, 2/2 FT. #indynetsbasketball pic.twitter.com/lty8iR7w9L
— INB Basketball Club (@IndyNetsbball) June 29, 2022
“I took in a lot of things,” Myles said about the NBPA Top 100 Camp. “It was a really good experience playing with all of the top kids in the country. It’s always a blessing, not every kid in the country gets to do that … I think I showed my shooting ability really well at that camp.”
Myles continues to get more and more notice on the national stage, and has finally cracked the top 100 in the 2023 class for some outlets. Throughout the next year, he should continue to surge up those rankings, but all the matters for the 6-foot-5 standout is controlling what he does on the court.
“I do pay attention to the rankings a tiny bit, but in my opinion, I don’t think that really matters to a certain extent,” Myles said. “At some point you have to play the game of basketball and all those rankings go away, and it’s a matter of who plays the toughest, who plays the smartest and who’s hitting shots. I’m not really too concerned about those things, I just put my head down and work. If there’s talent, it will be found.”
In his senior year, Myles plans to use that same mindset. He hopes to lead his team to a successful season, but also has several individual goals set as he looks to be the top player in Indiana.
“My personal goals, I want to get to the All-Star team, I hope to score 1,000 points and win Mr. Basketball,” he said. “That’s one of the top things on my list. And leading my team the furthest we’ve ever been.”
By this time next year, Myles will finally be getting set to head off to West Lafayette. Not only will he continue his family’s legacy with Purdue, but he will also get to play alongside some talented in-state products, one of those being Indiana native and four-star guard Drayvn Gibbs-Lawhorn.
“Both of us are really good scoring guards and I think we’ll be great additions to the squad,” Myles said.
The two guards along with the rest of their 2023 class should allow Purdue to not only continue developing the best talent Indiana has to offer, but to remain as a perennial contender in the Big Ten conference as well.
“I think we can be a great team,” Myles added. “We can compete with all the Big Ten schools and that’s something they do every year. Coach Painter will put us in the position to do that.”
In addition to that success, Myles knows Coach Painter and his coaching staff can put him in a position to achieve his end goal of the NBA, just as they did with a similar talent recently in Jaden Ivey. If Myles continues to progress the way he has, the sky’s the limit, and the Boilermakers are looking forward to having this elite talent on their side.
I know there’s a kid at Purdue rt now that’s pretty good but keep that seat warm @boilerball… 😎@sportscenter @mylesjcolvin TALK TO ME SON!!! #boilerup #sportscentertop10 pic.twitter.com/QsdMFyTdZY
— Rosevelt Colvin (@rcolvin3) February 23, 2022
“I definitely think he [Painter] can do that for me,” Myles said. “He’s done it with multiple guys. He has a really good knowledge of the game. That’s another reason I picked Purdue, not just him, but the whole coaching staff they have. Really good knowledge of the game, they love it, they’re dedicated to it. They want to see the team win and they’ll do anything for it.”
