Roger Powell (basketball) facts for kids

Roger Powell Jr., born on January 15, 1983, is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently the head coach for the Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team. Before becoming a head coach, Powell was an assistant coach at Gonzaga. He played college basketball at the University of Illinois from 2001 to 2005. He also attended Joliet Central High School, graduating in 2001. Powell played the forward position in high school and college. He earned a degree in speech communications from the University of Illinois. His father also played basketball for Joliet Central High School and Illinois State.

Roger Powell's Playing Career

High School Basketball Achievements

Roger Powell was a key player for Joliet Township High School. He started for three years and earned a "letter" in sports for four years. As a junior, he helped his team achieve a 20–8 record. He averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game. Powell led his team to win the SICA West Conference during his junior and senior years.

In 1999, as a junior, he won a bronze medal. This was with the USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival North Team. He was also named to the Pontiac Holiday Tourney All-Tournament Team. He was recognized as second-team all-state.

During his senior year, Powell averaged 20.7 points and nine rebounds. His team had a 25-5 record and was ranked No. 3 in the Chicago area. He received First Team All-State honors from several major newspapers and associations in 2001. These included the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was considered one of the top 100 basketball prospects in the nation. Powell finished fourth in the voting for Mr. Basketball in Illinois. After his senior year, he played in the Wendy's All-Star Classic. He also earned MVP honors at the IBCA All-Star Game.

Early College Basketball Years

As a first-year college student, Powell played in 27 games. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. His highest score that season was 12 points against Western Illinois. He played a season-high 15 minutes against Loyola-Chicago. In that game, he scored five points and grabbed five rebounds. His main job was to bring energy off the bench. He did this against Wisconsin, scoring six points and getting four rebounds. In the NCAA tournament, he scored four points and had four rebounds in Illinois' first-round win.

In his second year, Powell started 19 games, including 10 of the last 11. He led the Big Ten conference in field goal percentage during conference games. He made 64.1 percent of his shots. He was the third-highest scorer on his team, averaging 8.7 points per game. He scored a season-high 22 points against Indiana. He scored in double figures 13 times. A toe injury in the middle of the season caused him to miss two weeks. He was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. He led Illinois with 16 points in the championship game against Ohio State. He also played on the Big Ten European Tour team, leading them with 14 points per game.

Later College Basketball Years

In his third season with the Illini, Powell was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten player. He started 31 games that season. He missed some time due to a concussion during a Big Ten tournament game. He averaged 11.6 points per game, which was third on his team. He also averaged 5 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team. Powell was third in the Big Ten for field goal shooting, making 59.5 percent of his shots. He was also second on the team in offensive rebounds.

Powell scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Wisconsin in January 2004. In the 2004 NCAA tournament, he scored 22 points in a win over Cincinnati. He then had 15 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Duke. Powell considered entering the NBA draft but decided to return for his senior year.

In his final season, Powell was again named an honorable mention All-Big Ten player. He was part of the Illini team that reached the national championship game. They tied an NCAA record with 37 wins. He started every game and was fourth on the team in scoring. He averaged 12.0 points per game. He scored in double figures in 26 of 39 games. He was second on the Illini in rebounds, averaging 5.7 per game. He was named Big Ten player of the week in December after strong performances.

He scored his 1,000th point against Indiana in February. He finished his college career with 1,178 points, ranking 26th all-time for the Illini. He also ranks fifth in school history for career field goal percentage.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Powell played in several NBA summer leagues. He hoped to join an NBA team. He made it to the Seattle SuperSonics' training roster but did not make the final team.

Powell then decided to play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The Rockford Lightning chose him in the 2005 CBA draft. He had great success with the Lightning. The CBA named Powell the Rookie of the Year for the 2005–06 season. He was also named to the All-CBA Second Team and All-Rookie Team.

Powell continued to try for an NBA career. He tried out for the Utah Jazz. There, he reunited with former college teammates Dee Brown and Deron Williams. After hard work, Powell made the Jazz's team for the 2006–07 NBA season. However, he was released in January. He scored his first NBA points in November 2006 against the Phoenix Suns.

He then played for the Arkansas Rimrockers in the NBDL. Powell was named the D-League's player of the month for February 2007. He averaged 27.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 11 games. He scored at least 19 points in each of those games, including 46 points in one game. In April 2007, he received the NBA Development League Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award.

In 2007–08, he played for Teramo Basket in Italy. In October 2008, he joined the Chicago Bulls but did not make their final team. In 2008–09, he played for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel. In 2009–10, he joined CB Murcia in Spain. In February 2010, he signed a contract with JDA Dijon in France. He was part of the Chicago Bulls' training camp in 2010 but was released in October. On October 28, 2010, he signed with the German club Skyliners Frankfurt.

Roger Powell's Coaching Career

On June 28, 2011, Roger Powell began his coaching career. He joined the Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team as an assistant coach.

On April 6, 2016, Powell moved to Vanderbilt. He joined the coaching staff of the Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team as an associate head coach.

From the 2019–20 season through the 2022–23 season, Powell was an assistant coach. He worked under Mark Few at Gonzaga in the WCC.

On April 7, 2023, Powell returned to Valparaiso. He became the new head coach for the Valparaiso Beacons.

Roger Powell's Personal Life

Roger Powell is a Christian. He is married to Tara Powell. They have four children.

Roger Powell's Head Coaching Record

See also

In Spanish: Roger Powell (baloncestista) para niños