City of Basketball Love

By Liam O’Murchu (@liam_0__)
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Heading into his fifth year at Rider, Allen Powell has seen the highs and lows of Broncs basketball. 

He scored his first collegiate points in the 38-point beatdown in Tempe at the hands of Arizona State in 2019, and he played all but two minutes in the 2022 MAAC Tournament upset over an Iona team that seemed destined for the NCAA Tournament.

Although it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the La Salle College High School graduate, he has stuck it out and is now a staple within the Rider program, where he’s now the senior member of a young squad trying to continue the momentum of the last few seasons. That comes against the backdrop of a college basketball atmosphere defined, post-COVID, by the transfer portal. While many players took the opportunity to try their luck at another school, Powell has a key role on a team that many are pegging as the MAAC favorites.

“The grass isn't always greener everywhere else,” Powell said. “So I felt like being here, I know what my coaches expect from me, I know everything here already. So now I just want to win for the Rider community.”

“I'm glad that he's here because he can call this home, right?” head coach Kevin Baggett said. “A lot of guys go into the portal now and home is not going to be anywhere. He’s going to set different records here that will forever be in Rider's history. But if you leave and you go somewhere else, those things don't happen.”

Despite averaging 15.3 points per game, being named to the Pennsylvania Class 6A All-State Third Team and leading La Salle to the 2019 state quarterfinals his senior year, Powell only held four Division I offers and was often overshadowed by teammates Konrad Kiska and Zach Crisler. Rider offered him on Feb. 1, 2019, and Powell committed just less than two months later, recognizing that it was a great fit for him.

“Sometimes when you're evaluating a young man, you don't know his full potential,” Baggett said. “He was one of those guys who was really under-the-radar in high school. So to see him exceed expectations the way that he's done, I'm happy for him. He deserves it. He put the work in to be the player that he is.”

Rider’s location in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, puts them in a prime position to recruit from what they believe is the best basketball city in the country and the proximity to home was a selling point for Powell.

“I wanted my parents to be able to come to my games to support me,” Powell said. “The coaching staff here was all so welcoming, the campus was nice. So it was just a bit of everything.”

According to Baggett, there is something special about players from Philly.

“Philadelphia kids bring a toughness that I've liked from Day 1 since I've been here, and a lot of coaches throughout the country really value and appreciate,” Baggett said. “I tell people the best thing about Rider is the location.”

Powell immediately worked on his frame when he got to campus and averaged only 8.8 minutes per game as a freshman.

He got his first collegiate start in the second game of his sophomore year when Rider visited St. John’s, playing 37 minutes and racking up a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Powell’s playing time steadily increased, and he started the final 12 games of the season, finishing the year averaging 8.3 points in 28.8 minutes per game and a MAAC-leading 44% clip from 3-point range. 

“I would be lying if I told you that the player he's turned out to be is what I expected from him,” Baggett said. “I thought he would be a solid role player. He exceeded those expectations a long time ago.”

Powell turned it up another notch during the 2021-22 season, starting all but one game and averaging 12.1 points. Crucially, Powell showed up when it mattered most for the Broncs, averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 12-of-22 (54.5%) from 3 during the MAAC Tournament before the team fell to Monmouth.

Last season he was named preseason All-MAAC Third Team. He started all 30 games. His stats dropped off slightly, to 10.4 points and 29.2% shooting from range, but on multiple occasions he led Rider to victory, including against Fairfield with two separate clutch performances.

Powell will play a crucial role again on a team hoping to take the top spot in the MAAC this season. The Broncs need Powell to put it all together and be more consistent than he has been in the past.

“I don't think anybody can stop Allen Powell,” Baggett said. “I think there's times where he stops himself. He's capable of making the big shots. At times I’d just like to see him have more confidence and belief in himself.”