Undrafted All-American set to have a humbling hometown legacy
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (BVM) — At one point in his career, Myles Powell was a freshman guard on Seton Hall’s basketball team as one of the team’s heaviest players.
When he made his transition from Kent High School to Seton Hall, Powell weighed around 240 pounds and was coming off of a reaggravated foot injury. Now as 6-foot-2, 195 pound guard, his transition to the NBA is accompanied with several awards including the 2020 Big East player of the year.
Among many of the recruiters that have watched Powell compete in high school and tournaments, they noticed his ability to be an excellent scorer but saw that his size was going to impede on his overall basketball potential.
In 2015, Brandon Clay Scouting, a national college scouting company, monitored Myles Powell and considered him one of the top guards coming out of New Jersey.
Eventually, Powell would land at Seton Hall University where he would be surrounded by players and coaches who knew his future potential.
Powell would settle into the offense his freshman season at Seton Hall, averaging 10 points per game, while shooting 33% from the 3-point line and almost 40% on all shots from the field.
On top of playing in 33 games, Powell would average about 24 minutes per game while even making starts in two games during the season. The freshman guard would fill up the stat sheet with 30 steals, 29 assists and 6 blocks in his first year while also grabbing two rebounds a game from the guard spot.
After watching the guards’ growth his freshman year, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, was fascinated by how hard Powell had worked to lose weight while maintaining production.
“The transformation he’s done with his body is unbelievable,” Willard said. “Last year, he lost weight, but he was still soft. This year he’s lost more weight, but he’s gotten his body fat down. He’s leaner, quicker. He’s been phenomenal. He has played fantastic at both ends. Last year he was great on the offensive end and this year he’s really working hard on the defensive end.”
As Powell’s game evolved, the results began to reflect on the court. His increasing points per game and 3-point average earned him a plethora of awards including 2018 Big East Most Improved Player of the Year.
While maintaining an excellent status as a student, the 6-foot-2 guard was able to rack up numerous awards while remaining focused and earning the respect of his peers.
“The greatest thing about Myles Powell is the fact that he is as humble today as he was when I recruited him in high school,” Willard said during an interview for Seton Hall’s 2019 media day.
The pinnacle of Powell’s tenure at Seton Hall was during his junior year when he made a program record 107 made 3s in a season. He also averaged 23 points a game while shooting 36% from behind the arc and 45% from the field. He also managed to grab 68 steals, 99 assists while grabbing four boards a game.
Although Powell heightened his game to cement himself in Seton Hall history, the confident guard went undrafted. Despite going undrafted, Powell waited until he got the call from the Knicks.
“It’s a dream come true, as a young kid you dream about playing in the NBA but there’s nothing like playing in your hometown,” said Powell. Despite going undrafted, He continued, “My family kept my head right and helped me turn the page real quick.”
During a recent interview for the Knicks, Powell explained how excited he is to bring his work ethic to a familiar place.
“This is my story, I have always been the underdog and I needed that… they say in life when you get things handed to you, you take it for granted so I am blessed to be here,” Powell said.
