Sitting at 9-6 and 2-2 in the American Athletic Conference, the Memphis Tigers are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season. And with both the team’s win total and attendance figures the lowest they’ve been in a decade, the public opinion of the program is running short on optimism for the future.
Enter, Pookie Powell.
Powell is a sophomore point guard with a knack for knocking down three-pointers and racking up high assist totals that sat out the entirety of his freshman campaign, and after a sluggish start to the season he debuted in the starting lineup against North Carolina Central on Dec. 15 and has held down the job since.
But much like the Tigers as a whole this season, Powell’s suffered from inconsistency. He’s had monster stat sheet-stuffing outings such as a 14-point, six-rebound, seven-assist performance against Oral Roberts, but as conference play has picked up he’s also had games where he failed to make a sizable dent in the team’s scoring total.
“Everybody’s going to have good games and everybody’s going to have bad games. I’m just trying to learn every game and try to be better,” Powell said. “Every game is not gonna be like against a USC Upstate or a North Carolina Central. It’s conference time and I’ve gotta step my game up.”
While the scoring has come and gone, the one thing that has been consistent in Powell’s game is a willingness to get his teammates involved. He’s averaging a team-high 3.6 assists per game, and has dished out five or more assists in a game five times — a mark that hasn’t been reached once this season by any other member of the team.
Powell’s passing proficiency culminated in a nine-assist effort in a home loss against Tulane. Unfortunately for he and the Tigers, the game represented the best and worst of Powell’s play this season. In addition to all of the assists he also turned the ball over seven times, three of which came on consecutive possessions late in the second half that helped Tulane seal the game.
While Powell does lead the team in assists, he also leads in turnovers with 2.9 per game.
“I just need to be more patient and poised and relaxed,” Powell said. “I’m just gonna be more patient, find myself within the game and don’t try to go out there and rush things.”
Powell has a flashier game than other players on the roster. He has an affinity for turning around screens and pulling up for deep three-pointers, and has the court vision to make tricky passes through traffic. He said he’s often been compared to the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Nick “Swaggy P” Young, perhaps both for their styles of play and the tall hairstyle they both sport.
But according to Memphis coach Josh Pastner, he may need to take more of a simple approach in order to cut the turnovers down.
“He’s gotta limit the turnovers, but he’s gotta keep things simple,” Pastner said. “He doesn’t need to try to hit the home run play. He needs to be able to keep his dribble alive.”
With Powell sitting out the 2013-14 season this is for all intents and purposes his freshman season, and as he adjusts to the faster pace and tougher competition of the college game he could become a long-term solution to the Tigers’ question marks at the point guard position.
“It’s a big step from high school. I just gotta get used to it,” Powell said. “It’s only my sixth or seventh start. I’m getting better every game.”
