By ADAM ZAGORIA
Myles Powell on Monday became the first member of his family ever to graduate from college.
The 6-foot-2 Trenton native graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the School of Health and Medical Sciences (SHMS).
And he made sure his older brother Noel Powell’s name was on his diploma.
“Last year when me and my brother had the conversation about me coming back to school, I heard it all in his voice how passionate he was,” Powell told Andy Katz of NCAA.com on the Senior Showcase podcast. “Him wanting me to be the first in the family to say I did it. And he knows how hard I worked and he said I deserved this moment.
“So him being with me mentally, spiritually and physically, I mean I put his name on my degree, so it says ‘Myles Noel Powell’ on it. And I’ll be able to hang that up in our house and he’ll be able to see it. And those are moments that we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives. And if it wasn’t for him last year and us really sitting down and having a grown-man conversation, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am right now.”
#SeniorShowcase – Myles Powell!
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) May 20, 2020
🏀 #WestAward Winner
🏀 Big East PoY
🏀 SHU Leader in 3’s
🏀 Consensus First-Team All-American
Hear from @Myles_MBP_23 on the #MM365 pod!
🎧 https://t.co/zpcSxPxl97 pic.twitter.com/Fj1WA9kbP6
Noel, 29, is behind bars at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold after he was indicted in February 2018 for first-degree murder and weapons offenses. He is in protective custody for 23 hours a day and faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
He was able to watch his younger brother’s games when they aired on major networks like CBS, Fox and ESPN. Noel followed Myles as his younger brother led Seton Hall to a share of the Big East regular-season championship and won numerous postseason awards, including Big East Player of the Year and the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard while also being named to the Associated Press All-America first team.
“I feel like I owe it all to him,” Myles said. “I dedicate my college career to him. And God has a greater plan for us.”
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