![Marcus Purcell hits the game winning shot in the closing seconds as the Crestview Bulldogs upset the Choctaw Indians 61-58 in Regional semifinal basketball action at Choctaw. [MICHAEL SNYDER/DAILY NEWS]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-84da8f7b-b742-164b-e053-0100007f5bc4-2ef58d82-scaled.jpeg)
CRESTVIEW — Crestview senior Marcus Purcell was recently named class 7A MVP by Source Hoops.
Source Hoops, a basketball website that covers all basketball teams in Florida, called Purcell “a solid basketball prospect.”
“It felt good,” Purcell said when asked about the honor. “I’m happy we got that.”
Purcell’s mention of “we” instead of “I” is just one example of his humility and team mentality. The title of MVP may have gone to Purcell alone, but he gave credit to his team for helping earn it.
“I couldn’t do it without our coaches or my teammates,” Purcell said.
Purcell said the defining moment of his season was his 3-point shot in the final seconds of the team’s Sweet 16 win against Choctaw, which lead to the path of a state championship.
“Our expectation at the beginning was to get past Choctaw,” Purcell said. “Once we did that, it boosted our confidence and we thought we could beat anyone in 7A to get the state championship.”
Purcell started playing basketball when he was a young child in North Carolina. He was introduced to the game by his father, who continues to help him with his game.
“My dad and I would go to Twin Hills before games and take extra shots to warmup,” Purcell said.
Purcell’s hard work on both offense and defense was very noticeable to his coach, Greg Watson.
“Marcus is a hard worker that loves the game. I stayed on the guys about playing defense and to see Marcus mature in that was great.” said Watson. “During the Choctaw game, when he made that shot that was special for me, for him to step up and make that big of a shot, it shows a lot about his mental ability as much as it does his physical ability.”
Purcell’s all for the team mentality helped him be a great leader, according to Watson.
“The biggest thing about Marcus is he makes others better. He’s the total teammate,” Watson said. “He did everything I asked him to do and the guys fed off that.”
“He’s been a joy to coach,” Watson added.
Purcell was the team leader in scoring for season with 491 points, with an average of 15.8 points a game.
When asked about his plans after high school, Purcell simply said, “I’m going to play basketball somewhere, but I don’t know where yet.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's Purcell named Source Hoops MVP