UH builds a force board by board
Indiana native Powell has fun while waiting his turn
INDIANAPOLIS — As teams navigate the NCAA Tournament’s “bubble” with coronavirus protocols and safety measures in place, Kiyron Powell might be the most comfortable of all.
After all, this is home — well, a three-hour drive north from Evansville, but close enough that his first foray into March Madness is essentially in his backyard. “This is a special moment for me,” said Powell, a 6-10 freshman center for the Sweet 16-bound University of Houston. “My family wasn’t able to make it to any games this year. For it to be March Madness in my home state, back home where they can make it to every game, is very special.”
The NCAA Tournament, usually held at regional sites across the country,
was this year relocated to the basketball-crazed state of Indiana due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six venues, four in Indianapolis and two within 65 miles, have been used as the 68team field has been narrowed to the Sweet 16.
That has made Powell something of the Cougars’ unofficial tour guide for an extended stay that is on day 11 and counting.
“Basketball is what Indiana is known for,” Powell said on a recent Zoom call with reporters. “To bring (the NCAA Tournament) back home is something special.”
With the Cougars deep at the frontcourt positions, Powell has spent this season absorbing on-the-spot lessons, whether in practice or limited playing time as the second-seeded Cougars (26-3) advanced to Saturday’s
regional semifinal against 11th-seeded Syracuse (18-9) at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
That has been a change for Powell, who averaged nearly a triple-double (14.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 7.9 blocks) as a senior at Bosse High School.
“I definitely had to be patient,” Powell said. “I have to keep reminding myself every day (my) time is coming. Just learn. This is my year to learn. I feel like next year I’m going to be ready and be able to play at a new level that the team taught me this year.”
Having built his program on player development, UH coach Kelvin Sampson said Powell is “just now starting to scratch the surface” as a complete basketball player. Powell, the most skilled big man UH has signed since Sampson arrived in 2014, is a combination of shot blocker and rim protector who can shoot from inside 18 feet.
“Kiyron is a player that will develop here,” Sampson said. “He has wide shoulders and a great frame. When he puts on more weight, he has a chance to be really good.”
Just from his work the past year with UH’s strength and conditioning program, Powell is currently listed at 210, an increase of 20 pounds. In addition to the skill set the Cougars ultimately envision for Powell, he reeled off some of the intangibles he’s learned along the way. Due to the pandemic, the NCAA has granted a bonus year of eligibility, which means Powell will maintain his status as a freshman for next season.
“They’re implementing more into me: more toughness, more grit, more goget-it,” he said. “That’s only going to make me a better player.”
Also benefiting Powell have been the daily matchups with physical UH frontcourt
members Justin Gorham, Brison Gresham, Reggie Chaney and Fabian White Jr.
“Coming in, I thought I was going to be able to do something automatically,” said Powell, whose best game statistically was 11 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes against Our Lady of the Lake on Feb. 6. “It’s a whole different experience. They took me under their wing and showed me, ‘Hey, this is something you’ve never seen before. This is what you’ve got to do to get to this level and play at this level.’
“They are not going to hold anything back. They are going at you just like they would everybody else. When you come to practice, you better bring it.”
Powell recalled the first time he met the UH coaching staff at a summer AAU tournament.
“I wasn’t playing,” he said, “but they told me they liked the way I had my support from the bench. They kept believing in me. The staff said they saw something in me. That belief in me showed me and my family if I go a long way from home, they are going to take care of me and make me the player I want to be. I believed in Coach (Sampson), and it’s been very successful so far.”
Powell got his first taste of the NCAA Tournament in the first round against Cleveland State, playing three minutes late in an 8756 victory. He also scored six points in the Cougars’ American Athletic Conference tournament championship game victory over Cincinnati.
“Coming here, we had the unbelievable belief we could make it and do something special,” Powell said. “For us to be here actually doing it is very special to me and the program.”