Myles Powell says Seton Hall missed out on ‘special run’ in NCAA Tournament, dream is to play for Sixers

Myles Powell believes Seton Hall missed out on a “special run” in the NCAA Tournament because of the coronavirus, and said his dream would be to play for the Philadelphia 76ers when his NBA career begins.

Powell’s college career ended suddenly last week when both the Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament were canceled due to the pandemic. He finished as Seton Hall’s third-all-time leading scorer, and averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season despite battling an ankle sprain early in the season and a concussion that cost him two games in December.

“I really felt like we had a chance this year, the seeding that we were going to get, either the 2 or the 3, to really make a run,” Powell, 22, told Brian Custer and Rick Mahorn on SiriusXM NBA Radio Monday morning.

“All year we were hearing that this Seton Hall team could be a Final Four team and we had just lost two games at the end so I know we were coming around and we would’ve had a good run. I know we had one more special run in us, so me to wake up that Thursday morning and everything to be taken from me, it was heartbreaking.”

Villanova coach Jay Wright and Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing were among those who projected Seton Hall as a potential Final Four team during the season. The Pirates had the experience, depth, height, a defensive presence in 7-foot-2 Romaro Gill, a heady point guard in Quincy McKnight and an All-America guard in Powell.

Powell and Seton Hall were due to play Marquette in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals last Thursday night, but the entire Big East was canceled earlier that day. One day later, the NCAA Tournament was called off.

Powell said it finally hit him that his college career was over when Seton Hall assistant Grant Billmeier hugged him on the team bus on Thursday.

“Once it really hit me, we were on the bus when they canceled it, and one of our coaches, coach Grant, he just stood up and hugged me and he said, ‘Thank you for everything,’ and he had tears in his eyes,” Powell recalled.

“And then that’s when it really hit me that I was walking off the bus and that might’ve been my last game.”

Powell and his teammates are currently staying in their apartments on campus uncertain of their immediate future. Pirates coach Kevin Willard told NJ Advance Media that his foreign players aren’t able to leave the country if they want to go home.

“I feel like this team created a brotherhood that’s going to last forever, we’re just kind of enjoying these last couple of times together,” Powell said.

As for his future, Powell said he and his teammates are unable to work out in the gym now because the Seton Hall campus has shut down.

Two of his teammates, Gill and McKnight, were invited to the Portsmouth Invitational but that has been canceled.

Willard said he had been hearing from NBA personnel about Powell all season, but Powell’s immediate future remains in limbo.

“I’m trying to take it day-by-day, I found myself doing some push-ups and sit-ups, I’m trying to run outside, it’s been nice the past couple of days,” Powell said. “I’m trying to do anything to keep my head up high. It’s kind of rough, you know?”

It remains unclear where, or if, Powell will be drafted assuming the NBA Draft happens as planned on June 25 at Barclays Center, but former Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo said there’s definitely a spot for him in the NBA.

“No question,” Carlesimo told NJ Advance Media earlier this year. “There’s no question that he’s an NBA player.”

Powell said Willard told him he figured to be a mid- to late-second round pick, but that everything is in flux right now.

“I just want to be somewhere where I’m liked and it’s a good fit for me,” he said.

Former NBA guard J.R. Smith, who played at St. Benedict’s Prep and watched several Seton Hall games the last few seasons, has given him support in the process, too.

“He’s just telling me to do enjoy my senior year,” he said. “You don’t have many times like this where you’re one of the best players in the country so just having J.R. in my corner, him having so many highs and so many lows, just having somebody like that in your corner, it just helps.”

Powell was asked if he had a dream team he’d like to play for in the NBA. Being a Trenton native, he likes the team closest to his hometown.

“Me growing up really close to Philly when A.I. [Allen Iverson] was there, just wanting to be like ‘The Answer,’” he said. “My favorite football team was the Eagles, my favorite baseball team is the Phillies. Philadelphia, that stadium is 30 minutes from my home ...

“That would be a dream come true, like wow, the Sixers, and it’s so close to home, but anywhere that would want to take a chance with me that feels it’s the perfect fit for me, I would love it.”

Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.