by JP Pelzman
Myles Powell was grinning ear-to-ear when he stood at the foul line with 10:17 left Tuesday night.
And when Powell is feeling good, that is bad news for Seton Hall’s opponents, including future ones on the schedule.
Powell was at the foul line to complete a four-point play, the spark that finally enabled The Hall to pull away for good from pesky Wagner in an eventual 105-71 victory at Walsh Gym. The contested three and subsequent foul shot began a 24-4 run that turned a 70-58 lead into an all-out runaway.
But more important was how the play gave people a window into the star guard’s incredible talent and equally impressive work ethic. Much like a veteran stand-up comic work-shopping new material or a seasoned vocalist trying to expand his or her range, Powell constantly is in the lab coming up with new inventions to add to his already vast tool kit.
Not that Powell hasn’t drawn fouls in the past while sinking treys, as he also did once in the first half versus the Seahawks, when his four-point play made the score 36-24, Seton Hall. But he indicated after the game that it was a point of emphasis for him during the off-season.
“I just went back and watched my (tape) from last year and the fakes that the defenders jump on, the things that they go for,” Powell said.
Referring to the second-half four-pointer, he said, “I know everyone is scouting my step-back, and I saw him jumping, so I jumped into his body.”
What was most impressive about that one was that Wagner’s Will Martinez, who picked up the foul, made enough contact with Powell that he was knocked well off-balance, yet Powell swished the trey as if he were wide open.
On the first one, the contact didn't affect Powell's shot. The second one did, but he muscled it in.
He finished with a game-high 27 points and was 4-for-9 from long distance despite the three-point line being moved back to 22 feet, 1.75 inches, more than 16 inches deeper than the previous distance.
“Everybody knows that’s what he does,” said center Ike Obiagu, a Florida State transfer who sat out last season. “It’s not really a shocker. … I would not want to play against a team that has Myles Powell.”
And opponents might not enjoy playing against the 7-1 Obiagu, who had 11 points and three blocked shots in his Pirates debut. One thunderous first-half block ignited the crowd, and another one was deftly swatted by Obiagu into the hands of freshman Tyrese Samuel, who fed Anthony Nelson on a run-out for a finger-roll finish and a 26-17 lead.
Obiagu said, “To me, that's what I do, but I didn't expect that kind of reaction. The reaction of the crowd really got me going. You could feel the cheers through the whole building. It gave our team the boost we needed.”
“That’s what he’s been doing to us since the summertime,” Powell said. “That’s what we expect out of him.”
“I thought Ike was really good,” acting coach Grant Billmeier said. “I think playing two exhibition games certainly helped him get the nerves out and allowed him to kind of get into a flow playing with referees and playing with the crowd. I’m really happy with the minutes we got from him tonight.”
It was a solid night for The Hall despite the absence of suspended head coach Kevin Willard.
“Coach Grant, he’s a great guy on and off the court,” Powell said. “Just like Coach Willard trusted him, we trusted him too. He’s been with Coach Willard for a very long time, and everything that Coach wanted done, Coach Grant did it.”
As for living up to the hype of being ranked 12th in the nation, Powell said, “We’re for real. You guys (reporters) saw how good we could be at the end of last (season) and we’re just trying to keep that train rolling.
"It starts with me and Coach Willard, the head guy being the head coach and me being the leader. We’ll come back and watch film and see how we can get better. 71 points, that’s a lot of points” to allow.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
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Myles Powell was grinning ear-to-ear when he stood at the foul line with 10:17 left Tuesday night.
And when Powell is feeling good, that is bad news for Seton Hall’s opponents, including future ones on the schedule.
Powell was at the foul line to complete a four-point play, the spark that finally enabled The Hall to pull away for good from pesky Wagner in an eventual 105-71 victory at Walsh Gym. The contested three and subsequent foul shot began a 24-4 run that turned a 70-58 lead into an all-out runaway.
But more important was how the play gave people a window into the star guard’s incredible talent and equally impressive work ethic. Much like a veteran stand-up comic work-shopping new material or a seasoned vocalist trying to expand his or her range, Powell constantly is in the lab coming up with new inventions to add to his already vast tool kit.
Not that Powell hasn’t drawn fouls in the past while sinking treys, as he also did once in the first half versus the Seahawks, when his four-point play made the score 36-24, Seton Hall. But he indicated after the game that it was a point of emphasis for him during the off-season.
“I just went back and watched my (tape) from last year and the fakes that the defenders jump on, the things that they go for,” Powell said.
Referring to the second-half four-pointer, he said, “I know everyone is scouting my step-back, and I saw him jumping, so I jumped into his body.”
What was most impressive about that one was that Wagner’s Will Martinez, who picked up the foul, made enough contact with Powell that he was knocked well off-balance, yet Powell swished the trey as if he were wide open.
On the first one, the contact didn't affect Powell's shot. The second one did, but he muscled it in.
He finished with a game-high 27 points and was 4-for-9 from long distance despite the three-point line being moved back to 22 feet, 1.75 inches, more than 16 inches deeper than the previous distance.
“Everybody knows that’s what he does,” said center Ike Obiagu, a Florida State transfer who sat out last season. “It’s not really a shocker. … I would not want to play against a team that has Myles Powell.”
And opponents might not enjoy playing against the 7-1 Obiagu, who had 11 points and three blocked shots in his Pirates debut. One thunderous first-half block ignited the crowd, and another one was deftly swatted by Obiagu into the hands of freshman Tyrese Samuel, who fed Anthony Nelson on a run-out for a finger-roll finish and a 26-17 lead.
Obiagu said, “To me, that's what I do, but I didn't expect that kind of reaction. The reaction of the crowd really got me going. You could feel the cheers through the whole building. It gave our team the boost we needed.”
“That’s what he’s been doing to us since the summertime,” Powell said. “That’s what we expect out of him.”
“I thought Ike was really good,” acting coach Grant Billmeier said. “I think playing two exhibition games certainly helped him get the nerves out and allowed him to kind of get into a flow playing with referees and playing with the crowd. I’m really happy with the minutes we got from him tonight.”
It was a solid night for The Hall despite the absence of suspended head coach Kevin Willard.
“Coach Grant, he’s a great guy on and off the court,” Powell said. “Just like Coach Willard trusted him, we trusted him too. He’s been with Coach Willard for a very long time, and everything that Coach wanted done, Coach Grant did it.”
As for living up to the hype of being ranked 12th in the nation, Powell said, “We’re for real. You guys (reporters) saw how good we could be at the end of last (season) and we’re just trying to keep that train rolling.
"It starts with me and Coach Willard, the head guy being the head coach and me being the leader. We’ll come back and watch film and see how we can get better. 71 points, that’s a lot of points” to allow.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Comments
