Myles Powell’s magical season was cut short, but the Seton Hall guard could wind up with a major award before everything is said and done.
The college basketball season is ending on a sour note, but there is still one piece of hardware to hand out—the Naismith Trophy.
The Naismith Player of the Year honor is one of the most special things about college basketball. Seton Hall‘s Myles Powell—already Big East Player of the Year—is among the five finalists for the award.
?️The wait is over the 2020 @CitizenWatchUS Naismith Men's POY Finalists have been announced‼️ #Naismith2020 I #whosnext pic.twitter.com/UoRykbw0KD
— The Naismith Trophy (@NaismithTrophy) March 17, 2020
Powell is joined by Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike, Iowa’s Luka Garza, Oregon’s Payton Pritchard, and Dayton’s Obi Toppin.
The award is scheduled to be announced on April 3.
Unfortunately for Pirates fans, Powell feels like a longshot to win the award. Garza and Toppin appear to be the two frontrunners with the other three trailing behind. Garza averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while Toppin averaged 20.0 points per game with ridiculous efficiency (63.3 FG%, 39.0 3PT%).
With that said, Powell’s season shouldn’t go overlooked. The guard saw his shooting numbers dip from junior to senior year, but he was still spectacular. Opponents would throw everything and the kitchen sink at Powell, but he never stopped attacking.
Powell was the catalyst for head coach Kevin Willard‘s squad, leading the Pirates to their first regular-season conference championship in 27 years. He left his mark on the program in a major way.
Next up for this star is the NBA. There’s a chance that the NCAA gives seniors another year of eligibility. Powell said he isn’t ruling another run at Seton Hall out, but it’s safe to expect him to head to the NBA.
