"ESPNU ranks the 6-foot3 guard at No. 47 overall and No. 15 shooting guard in the class of 2011. Powell averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals in guiding Lincoln to the CIF Division II state title last season." -- ESPNLA
UCLA Signs Standout Norman Powell to a National Letter of Intent
Powell led Lincoln High School to the 2010 CIF Division II Boys' State Championship.
Norman Powell
Nov. 10, 2010
LOS ANGELES - UCLA head coach Ben Howland announced today the signing of Norman Powell to a National Letter of Intent to attend UCLA in the fall of 2011.
Powell, a 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound guard out of San Diego, Calif., and Lincoln High School, was named to the first team Press-Telegram's 32nd Best in the West team and finished ninth in the voting with 231 points.
Powell helped the Hornets to a 29-2 overall record as a junior in 2009-10 for head coach Jason Bryant. Lincoln HS won the Western League with a 12-0 mark and won the final 24 games of the year, culminating in the 2010 CIF Division II Boys' State Championship. Powell led the Hornets in the title game, their first state title since 1994, scoring 24 points as his team defeated St. Francis of Mountain View, Calif., 74-59. The Hornets ended the year ranked No. 10 in the state and No. 75 in the nation.
"I'm really excited about Norman Powell joining our basketball program and family," Howland said. "He's one of the most athletic kids that we will have had in this program in a while and one of the most athletic kids since I've been here. He's very explosive and has outstanding quickness and will be an excellent defensive player.
"He's very good at making plays, both for himself and his teammates. He is an outstanding addition to our program and is an outstanding young man and comes from a great family."
Powell averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 steals (led the team), 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game last year as a junior. He scored a season-high 34 points twice on the year (in a 79-74 loss to Crenshaw HS and in an 84-72 win over Central HS (Fresno, Calif.) He averaged 7.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore during the 2008-09 campaign. He is rated as the No. 15 shooting guard in the nation and the No. 47 overall recruit in the country by ESPN. He was rated the No. 2 shooting guard in the state, the No. 15 shooting guard in the country and the No. 69 overall recruit by Scout.com. Powell was also rated the No. 3 guard in the state, the No. 16 shooting guard in the country and the No. 59 overall recruit by Rivals.com.
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Powell - and Howland - excited to be a Bruin
By Jon Gold on November 10, 2010 8:38 PM
Inside UCLA blog
LA Daily News
It's hard to tell who's more excited that Norman Powell is joining the UCLA basketball program - Norman Powell or Ben Howland?
Lincoln High (San Diego) shooting guard, rated the No. 15 off-guard in the country by Scout.com, signed a national letter of intent with the Bruins on Wednesday afternoon, finally sealing the deal on what had been a heated recruitment.
"I'm overexcited," said Powell, who verbally committed to UCLA in September over Arizona and San Diego State. "Words can't explain how I feel right now. I'm so relieved I get to go a college I've been looking to since I was little."
Howland, who said he was just "really excited" about Powell joining the program, gets a highlight-reel caliber athlete who should thrive in the Bruins' increasingly up-tempo offense. Powell averaged 19.7 points and 4.9 rebounds as a junior while leading the Hornets to a 29-2 record and a CIF Division II state championship.
"He's one of the most athletic kids that we will have had in this program in a while and one of the most athletic kids since I've been here," Howland said. "He's very explosive and has outstanding quickness and will be an excellent defensive player. He's very good at making plays, both for himself and his teammates."
With only one scholarship currently available for next year - UCLA has 10 scholarship players but two more will go to David and Travis Wear, who are currently redshirting after transferring from North Carolina during the offseason - Howland searched extensively for a high-level point guard.
The No. 4 point guard in the nation, Quinn Cook of Oak Hill Academy, spurned the Bruins for Duke last week, and UCLA is not likely to seek another until perhaps the spring.
But Powell is excited to head to UCLA on a solo mission, hoping to make an immediate impact.
"That's the best feeling right there," Powell said. "I'm the only player in the class right now, and they're looking for me to show that ability. It's exciting, but it's a lot of pressure. I know a lot of people are looking at me to change UCLA basketball and take them another step further. I like that Coach Howland is looking to me so early."
If the Bruins continue to push the pace, Powell could get his shot.
The team is employing a more up-and-down philosophy than in recent history, with Howland realizing he had the athletes to make the transition.
He will add another next season.
"A lot of people talked to me about why I made my decision, that they're a slow team," Powell said. "They're really trying to get an up-tempo pace. I feel like I can step in there and be that leader in that offense. That's my style, and I can't wait to help."
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Basketball: Norman Powell signs on line
November, 10, 2010 Nov 104:15PM PT
By Blair Angulo
ESPNLA
Guard Norman Powell (San Diego, Calif./Lincoln) signed his national letter of intent Wednesday and will join the UCLA basketball program next season, the school announced on the first day of the early signing period.
ESPNU ranks the 6-foot3 guard at No. 47 overall and No. 15 shooting guard in the class of 2011.
Powell averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals in guiding Lincoln to the CIF Division II state title last season.
”I’m really excited about Norman Powell joining our basketball program and family,” coach Ben Howland said in a statement released by the school. “He’s one of the most athletic kids that we will have had in this program in a while and one of the most athletic kids since I’ve been here. He’s very explosive and has outstanding quickness and will be an excellent defensive player.
“He’s very good at making plays, both for himself and his teammates. He is an outstanding addition to our program and is an outstanding young man and comes from a great family.”
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