Myles Powell Captures 2020 Jerry West National SG of the Year Award
4/7/2020 12:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Springfield, Mass. - Seton Hall men's basketball consensus first-team All-American Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.) has been named the very best at his position. The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame has named Powell the recipient of the 2020 Jerry West National Shooting Guard of the Year award. Powell, who was one of five finalists for the award, was selected by a committee that was headed by West himself.
In the six years that the Hall of Fame has awarded national honors at each position, Powell becomes the second Pirate to be a recipient, joining Angel Delgado, who was the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner.
"Myles Powell was arguably the best scorer in college hoops this year," said Jerry West, Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 1993. "He didn't shy away from the big moments, always willing to put up the critical shots and bringing an unparalleled level of energy to his team every game. Myles and his Seton Hall teammates were a pleasure to watch this season."
"Myles has been determined to be a great player his entire career, and being the recipient of an award that bears the name of an all-time basketball great in Jerry West is an incredible accomplishment and honor that exemplifies what hard work can bring," said Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard. "He had a remarkable season leading our team, and I'm thrilled for him to be named the best in the country at his position."
"I am truly honored to be the 2020 Jerry West Award winner," said Powell. "To have my name next to one of the greatest basketball players of all time is a blessing. Thank you Mr. West and the awards committee for selecting me. I'll treasure this honor forever."
Powell, Seton Hall's first NCAA consensus first-team All-American since 1953, enjoyed an epic senior season for Seton Hall, leading the Pirates to the school's best performance in nearly 30 years. The Hall finished the year 21-9 overall and 13-5 in the BIG EAST, earning a share of the conference's regular season championship for the first time since 1993. Powell and the Pirates, which started the league season 8-0, went wire-to-wire in first place in the BIG EAST for the first time in program history. On a national scale, the team was ranked in the Associated Press top 25 for most of the season, reaching as high as No. 8, while also rating high in all the metrics used for NCAA Tournament selection (KenPom 20, NET 15, KPI 11, SOR 18, BPI 22, SAG 15).
Powell finished the season with a 21.0 points per game average, which ranked second in the BIG EAST and 17th in the nation (fourth among players competing in power conferences), all while receiving an incredible amount of defensive attention from opponents. In BIG EAST games, Powell was also second in the league in scoring at 20.9 points per game as well as tied for 10th in assists (3.4) and tied for eighth in steals (1.4).
Powell did his best work in hostile environments as he averaged 25.8 points in Seton Hall's nine BIG EAST road games, leading the Pirates to a 7-2 mark in those contests, the most conference road wins in program history. His top-three road efforts included a 34-point outburst in a win at Georgetown on Feb. 5, a 29-point effort in a comeback win at then-No. 5 Butler on Jan. 15 and a 28-point, five-assist game at Marquette on Feb. 29. He also hit a dagger jumper to help seal Seton Hall's win at No. 10 Villanova on Feb. 8, the program's first road win over its rival since 1994.
Although his non-conference season was cut short due to injury, Powell performed in some of the biggest games of the early year. He scored 37 points against then-No. 3 Michigan State, which helped cement his status as one of the nation's best players. Then he set the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament record for most points scored with 74, including 32 against then-No. 11 Oregon. He averaged 25.8 points in the eight non-conference games he was able to finish without leaving due to injury.
With his collegiate career having concluded, Powell left a huge imprint on Seton Hall's record book. He became just the fifth Pirate to ever reach 2,000 points and finished third in program history with 2,252 points. He is the program's all-time leader in three-pointers made with 348, and he also is fifth in field goals made (736), 12th in free throws made (432), 17th in assists (303) and 13th in steals (166). His 84 wins as a Pirate are tied for sixth-most in Seton Hall history.
In the six years that the Hall of Fame has awarded national honors at each position, Powell becomes the second Pirate to be a recipient, joining Angel Delgado, who was the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner.
"Myles Powell was arguably the best scorer in college hoops this year," said Jerry West, Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 1993. "He didn't shy away from the big moments, always willing to put up the critical shots and bringing an unparalleled level of energy to his team every game. Myles and his Seton Hall teammates were a pleasure to watch this season."
"Myles has been determined to be a great player his entire career, and being the recipient of an award that bears the name of an all-time basketball great in Jerry West is an incredible accomplishment and honor that exemplifies what hard work can bring," said Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard. "He had a remarkable season leading our team, and I'm thrilled for him to be named the best in the country at his position."
"I am truly honored to be the 2020 Jerry West Award winner," said Powell. "To have my name next to one of the greatest basketball players of all time is a blessing. Thank you Mr. West and the awards committee for selecting me. I'll treasure this honor forever."
Powell, Seton Hall's first NCAA consensus first-team All-American since 1953, enjoyed an epic senior season for Seton Hall, leading the Pirates to the school's best performance in nearly 30 years. The Hall finished the year 21-9 overall and 13-5 in the BIG EAST, earning a share of the conference's regular season championship for the first time since 1993. Powell and the Pirates, which started the league season 8-0, went wire-to-wire in first place in the BIG EAST for the first time in program history. On a national scale, the team was ranked in the Associated Press top 25 for most of the season, reaching as high as No. 8, while also rating high in all the metrics used for NCAA Tournament selection (KenPom 20, NET 15, KPI 11, SOR 18, BPI 22, SAG 15).
Powell finished the season with a 21.0 points per game average, which ranked second in the BIG EAST and 17th in the nation (fourth among players competing in power conferences), all while receiving an incredible amount of defensive attention from opponents. In BIG EAST games, Powell was also second in the league in scoring at 20.9 points per game as well as tied for 10th in assists (3.4) and tied for eighth in steals (1.4).
Powell did his best work in hostile environments as he averaged 25.8 points in Seton Hall's nine BIG EAST road games, leading the Pirates to a 7-2 mark in those contests, the most conference road wins in program history. His top-three road efforts included a 34-point outburst in a win at Georgetown on Feb. 5, a 29-point effort in a comeback win at then-No. 5 Butler on Jan. 15 and a 28-point, five-assist game at Marquette on Feb. 29. He also hit a dagger jumper to help seal Seton Hall's win at No. 10 Villanova on Feb. 8, the program's first road win over its rival since 1994.
Although his non-conference season was cut short due to injury, Powell performed in some of the biggest games of the early year. He scored 37 points against then-No. 3 Michigan State, which helped cement his status as one of the nation's best players. Then he set the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament record for most points scored with 74, including 32 against then-No. 11 Oregon. He averaged 25.8 points in the eight non-conference games he was able to finish without leaving due to injury.
With his collegiate career having concluded, Powell left a huge imprint on Seton Hall's record book. He became just the fifth Pirate to ever reach 2,000 points and finished third in program history with 2,252 points. He is the program's all-time leader in three-pointers made with 348, and he also is fifth in field goals made (736), 12th in free throws made (432), 17th in assists (303) and 13th in steals (166). His 84 wins as a Pirate are tied for sixth-most in Seton Hall history.
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