Myles Powell led Seton Hall to an overtime win against Kentucky.
It had been almost a week since Seton Hall took down ninth-ranked Kentucky in overtime at the Garden, but Pirates’ junior guard Myles Powell was still relishing the accomplishment.
Sure, Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson stole some of Powell’s thunder when his half-court, 3-point heave at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime after Powell thought he had won the game for the Pirates with his off-balance, 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation. But hey, a win is a win, especially when a young team like Seton Hall not only knocks off one of college basketball’s blueblood programs, but does so on college basketball’s grandest stage in the World’s Most Famous Arena.
So after dropping 28 points on the Wildcats in an NCAA-Tournament resume building win, where does the victory over Kentucky rank in Powell’s career? Higher than the Pirates’ victory over North Carolina State in the NCAAs last season?
“Oh, Kentucky is my No. 1,” Powell said without even referencing the win over the Wolfpack. “You always dream about being recruited by Coach Cal (John Calipari) and you always hear about the big blues - the (Duke) Blue Devils, (Kentucky’s) Blue Nation. Kansas and North Carolina. So getting to play against one of them in the Garden and win and how it all happened, it felt like a movie. The half-court shot and then Myles (Cale) hits the game-winner (in overtime). Just how it all happened, that was my best game.”
It was a signature win for a Seton Hall team that is replacing over 5,000 points with the graduations of Angel Delgado, Khadeen Carrington and Desi Rodriguez and has just five players on the current roster who played for head coach Kevin Willard last season.
“(The Kentucky win) meant a lot. It showed that we could play with anyone in the country when we listen to coach and follow coach’s game plan,” Powell said. “Throughout the whole week he was saying if we boxed out and got back in transition he believed we could beat them. Coach always believes in us and the confidence he has in us is unbelievable. So when you have a guy like that behind you, it’s kind of hard to lack confidence. So we went out there with a lot of confidence and our heads up high and we got the job done.”
After playing somewhat in the shadows of Delgado and Co. last season, Powell has been thrust into the role of team leader. It’s a position that came with some trepidation coming into the season but one he has come to fully embrace.
“I wouldn’t say there were nerves but there was a lot of pressure,” Powell said. “But I knew I would be ready because I watched (Delgado, Carrington and Rodriguez) go through so much and saw everything they accomplished and how they always kept their heads up high. I knew there would be a lot of ups and downs to it, but I knew I just had to stay confident in myself and believe in myself. They taught me so much and that’s all I’m doing now, passing the knowledge down to (the younger players). Following in their footsteps is a good path.”
One other area Powell has become a leader in is scoring as he enters Saturday’s game against Rutgers as the leader in the BIG EAST with a 23.0 points-per-game average.
“That’s a great feeling, especially with all the other guards we have in our conference,” said Powell, the current BIG EAST Player of the Week. “(St. John’s) Shamorie Ponds is unbelievable and he’s one of my brothers on and off the court. (Marquette’s) Markus Howard is great. Every other night you turn around and he’s ended up scoring 30-this or 40-that. So just to be up there is a blessing. But I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates and my coaches believing in me to get the job done.”
The victory over Kentucky ran Seton Hall’s record to 6-3 on the season with two of those losses - to St. Louis and Louisville - coming by a combined seven points. So is this young Pirates team coming along quicker than many thought it would?
“I think we’re doing better than everyone thought we would,” Powell said. “I feel ever since that loss to St. Louis we’ve been going as a team. Everyone came back and realized that we had to get it together and do it as a team. It can’t just be one person. It can’t just be me or it just can’t be Mike (Nzei) or it can’t just be Quincy (McKnight). It’s got to be a team effort and we’ve really taken in that team (philosophy) and the only way we came out on top against Kentucky was because we stayed together.”
Next on tap for the Powell and the Pirates is the annual in-state rivalry game with Rutgers. Seton Hall will host the Scarlet Knights Saturday at 2 p.m. and will be looking to erase the bitter taste of last year’s 71-65 loss to the Knights in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.
“There’s a trophy that you get to hold for the whole year and they’ve had that trophy over there for the whole year now,” Powell said. “They left a bad taste in my mouth when they stormed the court and all that last year. So we’re trying to emphasize to the younger guys that this is a real rivalry and it gets personal. I know a couple of guys over there and it’s nothing but love off the court. But when we step inside the lines Saturday it’s going to be personal.”
The Pirates, you may remember, were picked eighth in the BIG EAST coaches’ preseason poll. But after the win over Kentucky, and with Powell emerging as one of the top offensive weapons in the conference, might Seton Hall be a surprise contender in the BIG EAST this season?
“I feel we are capable of being that team,” Powell said. “We have great leadership and our younger guys want to get better and they listen. And I know coach will have us ready and have a great game plan for the BIG EAST. I can’t wait until conference play starts.”