Myles Powell returned to Seton Hall for his senior season for two main reasons: He received feedback from NBA personnel that he had additional work to do, and he still felt he could accomplish more with his college coach and teammates.
Check. And check.
Despite battling a sprained ankle that didn’t cause him to miss any games and a concussion that cost him two, Powell is succeeding both in the college ranks and in the eyes of NBA evaluators.
On Monday, Seton Hall was ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25, its highest ranking in two decades. The Pirates (14-4, 6-0 Big East) will take an eight-game winning streak into Wednesday’s home game with Providence and haven’t lost in more than a month. They are No. 1 in the NJ.com Power Rankings.
If the NCAA Tournament started today — which, of course, it does not — Seton Hall could be as high as a No. 2 seed in the West, per Fox’s Mike DeCourcy, or a 3 seed in the East. per ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. In the East, Seton Hall would potentially have two games in Albany and two in the East Regional at Madison Square Garden, something for which Powell is hoping.
(Rutgers, ranked at No. 24 in the AP Poll, is a 6 seed in both mocks.)
Through all this success, Powell is among a small group of contenders for National Player of the Year honors. The Trenton native is averaging 22.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.
“This is why I came back for my senior year,” Powell said. “I have a great group of teammates. I have a great coaching staff. Without them, I am nothing. Blessed to be in this situation.”
Powell is enjoying all of this collegiate success while his older brother, Noel, is behind bars on charges of first-degree murder, with his next court date set for Jan. 27. Myles told NJ Advance Media he feels he has to live and excel for him and his brother.
Meantime, Powell is impressing NBA scouts during his final year in South Orange and Newark.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony projected Powell as the No. 49 pick of the Indiana Pacers in his latest mock draft released Jan. 10.
“He will play in the NBA because he gets buckets and there’s a spot for a guy like that who can score,” Givony told NJ Advance Media.
“Of course, he can get better. He’s 22 years old. He’s got a lot of things he can work on. I think once he gets to a place where he’s not forced to carry as big of a load offensively as he is right now, I think he’ll be able to focus more on his defense and, with better teammates around him, maybe show more play-making ability. That’s going to be the key for him.”
While most mock drafts have Powell projected as a second-rounder — Tankathon.com has him at No. 51, for example — at least one scout who regularly attends Seton Hall games believes Powell could go in the first round.
“I think he is a late first-round selection,” a scout told NJ Advance Media. “I feel his skill of shooting the ball will translate to the NBA. He probably has a very low ceiling, don’t know how much more he can improve. His flaw is probably not good going left effectively. But his ability to shoot the hall from deep can’t be ignored.”
A second scout also raved about Powell’s abilities as a scorer.
“Great motor, great confidence, great shooter who has improved as a driver and passer,” the second scout said. “He’s a big-time college scorer [who] competes every night [and is] having a great season. [His] weakness is [he’s] under-sized for a scoring guard. [He] projects as an off-the-bench NBA scorer. He’s moving up the board every week.”
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.