Big East Basketball: Top-five rising juniors for 2018-19

5. G Myles Powell, Seton Hall

15.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 43.3/37.9/78.9 percent shooting

I’m not sure if it’s possible for someone to average nearly 16 points per game as a sophomore on a high-major tournament team and still fly under the radar, but that seems to be the case for Powell. I’m optimistic that Myles Powell will officially stake his claim as a surefire first-teamer for Seton Hall.

Powell is a silky combo guard who routinely pops from three or takes the ball to the hoop. In fact, Powell’s shot chart is a sabermetrician’s dream; nearly 91% of his 395 field goal attempts last year came from beyond the arc or at the rim. He is an effective scorer who has quickly mastered efficiency on the basketball floor. Powell already attempted nearly 3.5 free throws per game last year, but creating even more looks from the line is the next step in Powell’s quest to capture James Harden’s shooting profile.

Seton Hall is losing the core of the program’s best era in 25 years with the exits of Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Angel Delgado, but Powell is more than capable of carrying the torch for the next great Pirates squad. Alongside Powell will be newly eligible transfers Quincy McKnight and Taurean Thompson. All three players have shoot-first mentalities, but building an offense without one traditional ball handler is not new territory for head coach Kevin Willard. Four Pirates averaged between 2.0 and 4.4 assists per game last year.

Despite the team’s key departures, I’m bullish on Seton Hall as a Big East contender in 2018-19. Powell should provide plenty of optimism and excitement in South Orange, N.J.