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Myles Powell making most of move to Trenton Catholic

08/09/2014, 12:15am EDT
By Ari Rosenfeld

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
--

Following the 2012-13 season, things were certainly looking up for the Medford Tech Jaguars. Coming off of a South Jersey Group 2 championship, the first sectional title in school history, their two stars, Eli Cain and Myles Powell, were both expected to return, making them one of the top-ranked teams in 2013-14 South Jersey preseason polls.

However, things started to unravel late in the Summer of 2013; first, Powell announced that he would be transferring to Trenton Catholic and reclassifying to the 2016 class. Just a few weeks later, Cain announced he would also be leaving to play for national power St. Benedict’s, and also reclassified from 2014 back to 2015.

It was a difficult decision for Powell, especially after he and Cain had built Medford Tech into a prominent program in South Jersey.

“It was very hard,” he said. “First, I didn’t want to leave Eli, my best friend. We grew up together. He’s my closest friend; we call each other ‘cousin.’ Our bond will never stop.

“But we both realized that we had to go our separate ways and do bigger things. And when I was getting D-I looks, I realized that Medford Tech wasn’t really a school to get me ready for college. That’s a technical school, so it was to get you ready for jobs. So I realized that I had to go to TCA and do bigger things so I could get ready for college.”

While Medford Tech still put together a solid season behind rising senior big man Dennis Tunstall, and Cain has picked up some new scholarship offers recently, Powell has emerged as the biggest winner from the situation.

Since transferring to Trenton Catholic, he has picked up offers from Rutgers, Saint Joseph’s, Seton Hall, Temple, Rider, and Drexel, and has had schools like VCU and Georgetown expressing interest. He credits those mid-to-high-major looks to changes he has made in his game in the past year, changes that he made once he arrived at TCA.

“I think it helped me a lot. I’ve matured a lot. I got my body back in shape,” Powell said at this weekend's Primetime Shootout, where he's forced to watch his teammates from the sidelines as he recovers from a broken foot suffered last month. “I believe in my teammates more, I pass more. I can dribble, I can shoot it off the dribble now.”

After playing with Cain for two years at Medford Tech, Powell found himself another high-profile teammate after transferring. Soon after Powell announced his decision, Syracuse commit Malachi Richardson said that he would be returning to Trenton Catholic after playing one season at Roselle Catholic.

Just like he and Cain coexisted, Powell and Richardson have been able to thrive as backcourt mates, leading the Iron Mikes to the top seed in the South Jersey Non-Public B playoffs.

“He’s more of a shooter, and [Malachi] is such a big player it takes pressure off of me,” Powell said. “Them worrying about him more takes pressure off of me, so it’s easier shots for me.”

Once again, Powell’s team will enter the season as a preseason favorite to take home a state title. This time, however, Powell and Richardson will not be going anywhere. In fact, Powell is looking forward to the two of them stepping into bigger leadership roles as they enter their junior and senior seasons, respectively.

“Me and [Malachi], it’s really only us. He’s ranked in the country, I’m ranked in the state, so everybody looks up to us,” he said. “When we do what we do, that sets an example for the younger guys. So it all starts with us.”

Last season, the Iron Mikes suffered a disappointing loss to Richardson’s former team, Roselle Catholic, in the sectional semifinals, falling short of a state title and a berth in the Tournament of Champions. That loss still irks Powell, and he is determined to make the necessary adjustments in order to avenge it this year.

“Less one-on-one, more teamwork, and play defense,” he said. “Roselle, they beat us on offense and they were quicker, faster, stronger than us. So we need to hit the weight room, get after it, and come together as a team and not just one-on-one.”

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Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
--

Following the 2012-13 season, things were certainly looking up for the Medford Tech Jaguars. Coming off of a South Jersey Group 2 championship, the first sectional title in school history, their two stars, Eli Cain and Myles Powell, were both expected to return, making them one of the top-ranked teams in 2013-14 South Jersey preseason polls.

However, things started to unravel late in the Summer of 2013; first, Powell announced that he would be transferring to Trenton Catholic and reclassifying to the 2016 class. Just a few weeks later, Cain announced he would also be leaving to play for national power St. Benedict’s, and also reclassified from 2014 back to 2015.

It was a difficult decision for Powell, especially after he and Cain had built Medford Tech into a prominent program in South Jersey.

“It was very hard,” he said. “First, I didn’t want to leave Eli, my best friend. We grew up together. He’s my closest friend; we call each other ‘cousin.’ Our bond will never stop.

“But we both realized that we had to go our separate ways and do bigger things. And when I was getting D-I looks, I realized that Medford Tech wasn’t really a school to get me ready for college. That’s a technical school, so it was to get you ready for jobs. So I realized that I had to go to TCA and do bigger things so I could get ready for college.”

While Medford Tech still put together a solid season behind rising senior big man Dennis Tunstall, and Cain has picked up some new scholarship offers recently, Powell has emerged as the biggest winner from the situation.

Since transferring to Trenton Catholic, he has picked up offers from Rutgers, Saint Joseph’s, Seton Hall, Temple, Rider, and Drexel, and has had schools like VCU and Georgetown expressing interest. He credits those mid-to-high-major looks to changes he has made in his game in the past year, changes that he made once he arrived at TCA.

“I think it helped me a lot. I’ve matured a lot. I got my body back in shape,” Powell said at this weekend's Primetime Shootout, where he's forced to watch his teammates from the sidelines as he recovers from a broken foot suffered last month. “I believe in my teammates more, I pass more. I can dribble, I can shoot it off the dribble now.”

After playing with Cain for two years at Medford Tech, Powell found himself another high-profile teammate after transferring. Soon after Powell announced his decision, Syracuse commit Malachi Richardson said that he would be returning to Trenton Catholic after playing one season at Roselle Catholic.

Just like he and Cain coexisted, Powell and Richardson have been able to thrive as backcourt mates, leading the Iron Mikes to the top seed in the South Jersey Non-Public B playoffs.

“He’s more of a shooter, and [Malachi] is such a big player it takes pressure off of me,” Powell said. “Them worrying about him more takes pressure off of me, so it’s easier shots for me.”

Once again, Powell’s team will enter the season as a preseason favorite to take home a state title. This time, however, Powell and Richardson will not be going anywhere. In fact, Powell is looking forward to the two of them stepping into bigger leadership roles as they enter their junior and senior seasons, respectively.

“Me and [Malachi], it’s really only us. He’s ranked in the country, I’m ranked in the state, so everybody looks up to us,” he said. “When we do what we do, that sets an example for the younger guys. So it all starts with us.”

Last season, the Iron Mikes suffered a disappointing loss to Richardson’s former team, Roselle Catholic, in the sectional semifinals, falling short of a state title and a berth in the Tournament of Champions. That loss still irks Powell, and he is determined to make the necessary adjustments in order to avenge it this year.

“Less one-on-one, more teamwork, and play defense,” he said. “Roselle, they beat us on offense and they were quicker, faster, stronger than us. So we need to hit the weight room, get after it, and come together as a team and not just one-on-one.”

Recruiting News:

View All |

HS Coverage:

View All |

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