Myles Powell picked up his first scholarship offer from Seton Hall in the 10th grade at Trenton (N.J.) Catholic and they haven’t stopped recruiting him since.
Two years later, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound shooting guard verbally committed to the Pirates on his official visit to campus. He also considered UConn, VCU, DePaul and Pittsburgh
“I’m proud to be a Pirate. They did an excellent job recruiting me,” Powell said by phone Saturday. “Words can’t describe how good my relationship with Shaheen Holloway is. Shaheen, Fred Hill and Coach [Kevin] Willard all did a great job of making me feel like this is my home.
“I have a great relationship with the team. Me, Isaiah [Whitehead], Desi [Rodriguez], we all played with the Playaz before.”
Powell, who transferred to South Kent (Conn.) for his senior year, is known as a strong shooter, maybe the best in the nation.
With the NJ Playaz this summer on the Nike EYBL circuit, he averaged 18.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 20 games. Powell also shot 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range.
“Myles Powell is the best shooter in the country, period,” Jimmy Salmon, the director of the NJ Playaz, told SNY.tv. “His game will transcend to the next level” at Seton Hall.
“Myles is a tremendous player with a tremendous feel for the game,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said. “He is recognized by many as the No. 1 shooter in the country but he does so much more. He can handle the ball, really passes the ball and has a very high IQ. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and I think Seton Hall got a great player for the next four years.”
Said Powell: “Coach Willard has been stressing to me that he needs a shooter. He says I’m the best shooter in the country and he has a lot of great plans for me. I can have a big impact as the type of player that they’re going to use me as.”
The news couldn’t have come at a better time for Seton Hall, which has watched as neighbors Rutgers (Kwe Parker) and St. John’s (Kassoum Yakwe) have recently landed important commitments. Seton Hall also saw guards Sterling Gibbs and Jaren Sina transfer out amid reports of locker room discord.
The landing of the Trenton, N.J., native — Seton Hall’s first 2016 pledge — shows that Willard can still effectively land prized players from the Garden State.
And now Powell would like Bryce Aiken, the point guard from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick’s who visited with him, to join the party. Aiken is also considering Harvard and will visit Miami next week.
“I had a long talk with Bryce this weekend so hopefully he listened to me and he can make the great decision that I made too,” Powell said.
“I told him that he can play in the Big East just like I can.”
What else did he tell Aiken?
“Hopefully that Isaiah will have a great year and will enter the league and that opens up a lot of space for me and Bryce to come in and handle what we go to handle. He’s a very good point guard, he thinks pass first would. He would be a very good player to play with.”
Aiken, meantime, said he enjoyed the visit but will still visit Miami and make his decision after that visit.
“Just being on campus and being able to experience a day in the shoes of a student athlete that attends Seton Hall University stood out to me most,” he said.
“I would love to play with not only Myles, but with the current players they have there as well.”
