Seton Hall men’s basketball fans sat on pins and needles as Myles Powell deliberated making a jump to the NBA. And why not? With him in uniform, SHU is a top 15 preseason team. Without him, they are a middle of the road Big East squad.
Photo: shupirates.com
As we all know, he wound up removing his name from the draft, and their is a palpable buzz emanating from South Orange for what could/should be a banner season.
For those Pirates fans who cannot wait to see him on the hardwood again, well, you have your chance right now. He is competing with a team of 12 Big East Conference players in the Pan Am Games, which are being played in Lima, Peru.
Photo: Wikipedia
Other participants in the 2019 Pan Am Games are Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands.
Interestingly, this is the first time a team from one Division l conference is representing the United States in the sport of men’s basketball for the event.
As for the makeup of the roster, because some conference schools are taking foreign trips this summer, players from DePaul, Marquette, Georgetown, and Xavier were unavailable to participate. Powell is joined by fellow Myles (and Pirate teammate), Myles Cale. The Hall’s Kevin Willard and Brown University‘s Mike Martin are assisting head coach Ed Cooley of Providence College.
2019 Pan American Games Roster
Alphabetical Roster
No. Name School Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown
5 Ty-Shon Alexander Creighton Jr. G 6-4 195 Charlotte, N.C.
6 Myles Cale Seton Hall Jr. G-F 6-6 210 Middletown, Del.
11 Alpha Diallo Providence Sr. G 6-7 213 New York, N.Y.
7 David Duke Providence So. G 6-5 198 Providence, R.I.
2 Collin Gillespie Villanova Jr. G 6-3 190 Huntington, Pa.
15 Geoffrey Groselle Creighton — C 7-0 242 Plano, Tex.
8 Mustapha Heron St. John’s Sr. G 6-5 220 Waterbury, Conn.
10 Myles Powell Seton Hall Sr. G 6-2 195 Trenton, N.J.
4 A.J. Reeves Providence So. G 6-6 200 Roxbury, Mass.
9 Jermaine Samuels Villanova Jr. F 6-5 225 Franklin, Mass.
14 Nate Watson Providence Jr. C 6-10 250 Portsmouth, Va.
13 Tyler Wideman Butler — F 6-8 240 Schererville, Ind.
Following a week‘s worth of double session practices at the amazing new Ruane Development Center on the Providence campus, the team began play Wednesday. They overwhelmed the Virgin Islands 119-84, and here is a quick recap 👇🏻
FINAL SCORE:#TeamUSA 119
Virgin Islands 84📊Stats:
Alpha Diallo: 20 PTS, 11 REB
Myles Powell: 19 PTS (3-6 3PT)
David Duke Jr.: 13 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST
7 Players with 9+ Pointshttps://t.co/lYmXfDjjV1 pic.twitter.com/Q8Zn7Bsa14— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) July 31, 2019
Powell played well (19 points) in game one, but in Thursday‘s 70-53 win over Venezuela, he was AWESOME! Each and every time the team needed a bucket, Myles got one. He went for 30 points on 12 for 18 shooting, scoring from inside, midrange, and from Deep! This my friends is ridiculous:
Myles Powell from a step inside the mid-court circle, and-1 for good measure. #TeamUSA #Lima2019 @Myles_MBP_23 pic.twitter.com/jGRZItJvxO
— FʀɪᴀʀTV (@FriarTV) August 2, 2019
“The Big East is the the best basketball conference in the country, but right now it’s not really about the Big East. It’s about repping for your country,” Powell said following his big game.
With a 2-0 record in Pool A, Team USA has already clinched a spot in the medal round. They play Puerto Rico (also 2-0) tonight, the final game of Pool play (10 p.m. ESPNU). So Pirates fans, when the local baseball games are finishing up, you’ll have another opportunity to see your guy, the electric Myles Powell, do what he does best. Only this time he is on loan to the United States of America!
And that is My 2 Sense for this week. Let’s go USA!
Feature Photo: NCAA Hoop Digest
