NORMAL — DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell will have his parents with him. He expects plenty of other family members and friends — too numerous to count, he joked — joining in the festivities.
Two important people in Akoon-Purcell's life will be missing during a Senior Night ceremony before Illinois State's final home basketball game at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Southern Illinois at Redbird Arena.
Rest assured, not a day will go by for the rest of Akoon-Purcell's life that he won't think about them. The reminders are on his wrists.
The 6-foot-5 guard from Orlando, Fla., has "Clair" tattooed on his left wrist in honor of his late grandmother, Clair Akoon, who passed away in 2013.