Big East Basketball: Five rising stars set for a big 2018-19 season
By Brian Foley
JR Myles Powell
2017-18: 21.8 percent usage rate
15.5 points, 11.6 FG att. (43.3 percent), 3.4 FT att. (78.9 percent), 2 turnovers
Powell started 33 of Seton Hall’s 34 games last year and managed to pour in 15.5 points per game despite playing as a secondary option beside Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Angel Delgado, three of the Big East’s top 12 players in usage rate.
Most of Powell’s shot attempts through his first two seasons have come from beyond the arc as a spot-up shooter. But this year, the former four-star recruit will need to soak up more ball-handling duties; the Pirates are losing several guards with the graduation of Rodriguez and Carrington and the transfers of Eron Gordon and Jordan Walker. Toss in Delgado and Ismael Sanogo, and nearly 62 percent of Seton Hall’s minutes are departing, leaving the bulk of the offense in Powell’s hands.
Even as Seton Hall brings in a couple guards with its three-man recruiting class and Myles Cale continues to develop in his second season, Powell will still do most of the heavy lifting. Powell already finished in the Big East’s top 25 in usage last season, but he should easily rise into the top 10 in 2018-19. His aggression and production will go a long way in determining how the middle of the Big East shakes out.