It hasn’t been the journey Danjel Purifoy expected, but it's all been worth it.
Purifoy missed all of the 2017-18 season due to his involvement in former assistant coach Chuck Person’s FBI scandal. With the suspension, Purifoy was not an active participant in Auburn’s regular-season championship run.
During Auburn’s regular season finale win over South Carolina last season, Purifoy made the decision to not cut down the net with the rest of the team.
With a second chance after a nine-game suspension this season, Purifoy’s comeback was underwhelming with him not cracking the rotation as much as many expected.
In 23 games so far this season, Purifoy has only averaged 11.1 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists.
Those numbers are a big drop off in comparison to his 2016-17 numbers where he averaged 11-5-2 in 28 minutes.
But in the best four-game run of Auburn’s season, Purifoy provided quality minutes off the bench for the Tigers.
During the SEC Tournament, Purifoy saw an uptick in playing time and averaged 14.5 minutes a game – including providing 20 minutes off the bench in the second round against Missouri after Chuma Okeke got into early foul trouble.
Purifoy also saw a bump in his efficiency while shooting the ball during the SEC Tournament. He did not miss a 2-pointer all tournament and shot 62.5 percent from behind the 3-point line.
His best performance of the tournament came in the blowout championship win against Tennessee where he scored a season-high 10 points in 10 minutes on 4-of-5 shooting.
“I came into this game knowing my shots were going to fall,” Purifoy said. “I took that first shot and I told my coaches, ‘I’m not going to miss anymore.’ After that first shot I didn’t miss anymore 3’s, I even got to the basket a little bit.”
His 10 points marked Purifoy’s first double-digit performance since March 8, 2017.
Purifoy was a big part in the bench’s production during the tournament and especially against Tennessee.
The Tigers bench outscored its conference tournament opponents 105-52 for a plus-53 margin, including outscoring Tennessee’s bench by 20 – the exact difference in the final score.
“Everybody stepped up to the plate, including myself, J’von and even Austin came off the bench and gave great minutes,” Purifoy said. “I mean, I could name everyone on the bench. We came in with a game plan and we succeeded and contributed.”
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