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David Spagnolo[/caption]
Seton Hall commit Myles Powell has yet to put on a Pirates jer- sey, but he’s already dying to get a crack at one Big East rival.
“The (Villanova) matchup. Most definitely,” he said at the Jordan Brand Classic on April 15 when asked what he’s looking forward to most. “’Cause they just won the national championship and I know for a fact we got them twice because they’re in the same conference as us.”
Powell, a 6-foot-2-inch former star at the South Kent School in Trenton, N.J., committed to SHU back in early November. He must have been pleasantly surprised to see Seton Hall have a phenomenal season that included a Big East Tournament championship and an NCAA Tourna- ment berth, right?
Nope. He expected it.
“It was good, but I always knew they had it in ‘em,” Powell said. “I saw it before it happened. Coach (Kevin) Willard is a great guy. They don’t care who does it—as long as it gets done and they're doing it together, everybody’s happy.”
Powell was convinced the Pirates had big things in their immediate future after seeing how tightly knit the team was, even before a non-scrimmage game was played. Seton Hall opened up the season at home against Dartmouth on Nov. 13; Powell com- mitted on Nov. 12.
“They do everything together. There’s not really, some guys over here, some guys over there. Ev- erything is together. They go out to eat together, they catch movies together, stuff like that. So, just being a part of the family—that’s what drew me there.”
Powell added that the allure of having his family close enough to visit and watch him play was also a factor in his decision.
After dropping 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting in the Jordan Classic Regional Game, which features elite tri-state area players, Powell said he feels that he will give Willard and Co. an asset that was not always available this past season.
“My jumpshot. There were a couple of games this year where they lacked a jumpshot, so I think I will bring that to the table.”
Powell also told SNY’s Adam Zagoria that he hopes he can become the “the best three-point shooter in the Big East and country.” That would be much-needed for Seton Hall—the Pirates finished eighth out of 10 conference teams in made three-pointers in 2015-16.
When asked about the NBA future of Isaiah Whitehead, a friend of Powell’s, the future freshman seemed unsure whether he’d return or not. Powell did note, how- ever, that should Whitehead go pro, he’d be asked to carry more of an offensive load.
Whether the pride of Brooklyn returns or not, Powell looks for- ward to trying to make some “big things” happen for Seton Hall. Powell, who has caught a few games at the Prudential Center this past season, is pumped to keep the excitement rolling in South Orange.
“It was amazing. I was at that game at Madison Square Garden (against Villanova), just seeing how they came together as a team. They didn’t care who did it. They just got it done. That’s what I like most about the family of Seton Hall. And the crowd, man. That’s what I want.”
Thomas Duffy can be reached at Thomas.duffy@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @TJDhoops.
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