After a short recruitment period, Justin Powell transfers to Tennessee. The young guard from Prospect, KY was expected to remain in the SEC. The frontrunner when his transfer was announced was presumed to be home state team Kentucky. However, after the Wildcats took a commitment from Kellan Grady, it was clear Powell would end up somewhere else.
Both programs will end up with sharpshooters with a little more to add to their games than meets the eye. Powell averaged 11.7 points to go along with 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Grady scored 2,000 points in his career at Davidson. The SEC in recent years has been building talent with big-name coaches and bringing in talented players. Keeping Powell and bringing in Grady only improves the overall conference product.
Powell was excited to announce the move on his Twitter.
rocky top?? pic.twitter.com/DajU3q6tJC
— Justin Powell (@jtpowell241) April 3, 2021
Although Powell’s stats are impressive, he did only compete in 10 games last season. If Rick Barnes and his staff keep Powell healthy he will surely be an All-SEC contender. Powell is a player who sees his timeline in college being a short one. So Tennessee fans shouldn’t expect three years from Powell, but that does remain to be seen.
Powell’s move to Tennessee means that the SEC is more than likely going to allow intra-conference transfers to be eligible immediately. New rules like this are allowing players to have more freedom of movement and not be punished for making business decisions with their athletic or academic careers. Gone are the days of sitting out a season or burning a redshirt to transfer. Players are going to be eligible immediately more often than not now.
Powell’s best games came in back-to-back contests during the nonconference season. Against South Alabama and Memphis, he put up 26 points. In those two games, he averaged 5.5 assists and 6 rebounds as well. Tennessee continues to do well under coach Barnes.
