Middletown South’s Ryan Purcell Eclipses 1,000 Career Point Mark By John Sorce

MIDDLETOWN – The Middletown South boys basketball program had not had a winning season in eight years before this season, which saw the Eagles finish 15-13.

Jim Anderson, who coached the program from 1995-2001, came back to lead the program to its first winning season in eight years. A big reason why was a 6’2” shooting guard Ryan Purcell, who became just the sixth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark and the first since Kyle Cancillieri in 2010. 

“He’s a gym rat,” Anderson said. “He’s the kind of kid who would have a ball in his hand 24 hours a day. He’s that guy who is going to stay around after practice and work on his shot. He’s made himself a good player.” 

Purcell made his debut on the varsity level as a sophomore, when he came off the bench against CBA midway through the season and scored 15 points. 

“From that point on, he was in the starting lineup,” Anderson said. 

Purcell finished his sophomore year with 202 points and burst onto the scene as a junior, when he scored 410 points and averaged 17.1 per game. This season, he led the Eagles with 515 points and 17.8 per game, eclipsing the 1,000 point mark against Shore Regional on Feb. 10. 

Purcell is a player who can do it all offensively, but Anderson pointed out his prowess from the free- throw line. 

“He’s a 3-point shooter and he’s an outstanding foul shooter,” Anderson said. “He is one of the top 10 free-throw shooters in the shore. He shot 80 percent from the line this year for us.” 

Purcell will continue his basketball career at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY in the fall. But he has certainly left his mark on the Middletown South program and will have his name on a banner one day. 

“He’ll sorely be missed,” Anderson said. “He’s a key part of the rebirth of the Middletown South basketball program and Ryan is a kid that loves the history of our school sports. They have been down for a while, but he belongs with the good players and teams that we’ve had at Middletown South for so many years. He’s going to be a part of that legacy. His name is going to be up on a banner as the sixth 1000-point scorer in boys basketball in the 42 year history of the school.”