Oregon’s Richard Amardi stood with his heels barely in the restricted area, his hands resting just above his waistline, while Norman Powell dribbled furiously across the floor.
Sauntering into his stance and ready to take a charge, Amardi waited for a storming Powell to speed up, dip his shoulder and collect an offensive foul.
It took just two Powell steps in front of the free throw line for Amardi to transform from a gritty defensive player to a poster.
Amardi shot his hands upward, but it was too late. Powell planted firmly on his left foot, then vaulted toward the rim, finishing with a powerful right hand. An and one – and an eventual SportsCenter Top 10 appearance – allowed the burn to set in a little deeper.
On the bench, redshirt senior forward David Wear released a spasm of excitement, slapping a towel on Oregon’s tree-lined court. Jordan Adams reminisced over Amardi like a fallen prizefighter.
“Big play. You see Jordan standing over the dude like, ‘Oh, my gosh. You just got dunked on.’ It was really funny,” Powell said. “That sort of brings the team together like that. Doing that really sparked us to play with more energy throughout the game.”
It was also the most severe consequence of Amardi underestimating – even subtly – Powell’s ability to finish at the rim. What Amardi learned two Thursdays ago is a lesson Powell loves to teach.
Doubt him or question him, but Powell has always relished proving his critics wrong.
Taking flight
That desire to exceed expectations and improve is what pushed Powell as he made the transition from the Linda Vista YMCA to San Diego All-Stars Basketball, an Amateur Athletic Union program, and the Lincoln High School freshman team. He showed similar spurts of athleticism, speed and power, but those traits didn’t always translate smoothly onto the court.
“I first got to know Norman as a rising ninth grader … (and) he was very underwhelming as a player,” said Lincoln High School basketball coach Jason Bryant. “He had potential, but I didn’t see too much in his ability. His skill set wasn’t quite there yet as a youngster.”
Over the next two years, physical ability merged with improved body control. Powell grew into what is now a 6-foot-4 muscular frame and showed it in the AAU season prior to his junior year of high school. He moved up to San Diego All-Stars Basketball’s top club team, and the flashes of skill held for longer.
“He did pretty well,” said Marshawn Cherry, president and athletic director of San Diego All-Stars Basketball. “We thought, ‘He might have something going here.’”
The San Diego Union-Tribune came out with its annual “Boys basketball players to watch” list in 2009 and included four Lincoln High School players.
Powell wasn’t one of them.
Instead of pouting, Powell had a breakout season, averaging nearly 20 points per game and leading Lincoln to a Division II state championship. The following year, the Hornets fell in the state semifinals, but Powell managed to improve his scoring average and earn all-state honors for the second year in a row.
He had a long list of suitors – one that included then-New Mexico coach Steve Alford – but ultimately committed to UCLA in September 2010. With patience and a little guidance, Powell went from work in progress to Westwood.
“There was never a day off. He was always pushed and he was always challenged by me and the coaching staff,” Bryant said. “Every day he proved he was the best guy, and that was his driving force, to always prove he was the best. That mentality has gotten him to where he is now.”
History repeats itself
The “now” for Norman Powell is certainly comforting. The junior is averaging double figures for the first time in his career and is arguably the best defender on an 18-5 UCLA team. He also plays in an offensive system that allows him to run the floor and attack the rim at will, just like he did in high school.
It’s a rosy junior year, though, that comes only after a thorny first two years as a Bruin. Like many high school basketball players in a new college system, Powell digressed from “the man” to UCLA’s seventh man during his freshman year.
Coach Ben Howland’s scheme of tough man-to-man defense paired with a methodical, grind-it-out offense grounded Powell on the runway. Lincoln’s high-flying phenom was placed in the corner, hoping for an opportunity to spot up and shoot.
He played in all 68 of UCLA’s games during the two-year span, but, just like his first year playing varsity in high school, it was difficult for him to stay on the floor long enough to build up confidence. Double-figure scoring games were few and far between, and Powell rarely played more than 25 minutes.
“With the first two years, we were all frustrated,” Cherry said. “(Powell) would come home and talk. He was frustrated. He didn’t know what he had to do to get an opportunity. He felt like he wasn’t given an opportunity.”
When the Howland era came to an end after last season, Powell said he almost sought that opportunity elsewhere. Following Alford’s hire, the guard told reporters much of his decision to stay stemmed from Howland’s departure.
Looking back on his most trying years at UCLA, though, Powell knows he’s better for them, both on the defensive end and off the court.
“First two years, you know, were shaky. It was really hard for me, but I felt like with all that, being in the position that I was, my first two years really helped me grow as a player,” Powell said. “It really helped me understand the game more and be able to open myself up and talk to teammates about what’s going on.”
With a few added skills from Howland, a summer full of shooting with a former coach, Stacy Dooley and some assistant coaching for San Diego All-Stars Basketball, Powell was finally ready to turn the page.
“He really put in the effort to make sure he could get his shot and put the ball in the basket,” Cherry said. “He wanted to make sure he came out and had a great season. He wanted to prove everybody wrong.”
A fresh start
If all goes according to plan, the Bruins’ first game in the Pac-12 tournament this March will be Powell’s 100th in a UCLA uniform.
It took nearly 70, or until Alford’s arrival, for Powell’s game to be included as a major part of UCLA’s system. What Powell saw in Alford was a much-needed change in offensive philosophy and a coach who trusted him with the ball.
“I just felt like that connection and him coming in really helped me with the transition and helped me play with confidence, knowing that he has my back and he wants good things to happen for me,” Powell said.
What Alford saw in Powell was a guard with ideal traits: big hands, long arms and physicality.
“I told him from day one that I thought this would be his breakout year. He went through his freshman year and his sophomore year, and that junior year is a pivotal year,” Alford said. “The team really looks to him. I think he’s a good leader and I think he’s such a great athlete.”
His consistency has played a major role in keeping UCLA afloat in Pac-12 play. At Oregon and USC, Powell’s second-half scoring frenzies turned early deficits into Bruin victories. Relentless on-ball defense quieted prolific scoring guards like Arizona State’s Jahii Carson and Oregon State’s Roberto Nelson.
The best part for the potential Pac-12 Most Improved Player? There’s still plenty of time left to savor.
Staying power
Howland recruited plenty of talented players during his final years as UCLA’s coach; the problem was often just getting them to stay.
Including transfers, 15 former ESPN 100 recruits entered the UCLA program between 2008 and 2011. But by way of transfer, dismissal or early departure to the NBA, graduation became the road never traveled.
The NBA is a goal of his, but Powell, a history student, is hoping to join Jerime Anderson as one of just two of that group to graduate from UCLA.
“I love UCLA. The tradition here is great. You see it everywhere you go,” Powell said. “The NBA’s always going to be there, but being a part of UCLA for four years, you never get that back. I’m just enjoying my ride.”
When that ride does come to an end, though, Powell plans to echo his play on the court and lead by example, specifically in mentoring kids near his home in Southeast San Diego.
“I want to go home and try to help kids … get in the mindset of succeeding and take their educational level as far as they can. I feel like I come from a community that really struggles with that and has gang violence,” Powell said. “There are a lot of people struggling and I want to give back to my community.”
As for Powell’s pro prospects, nothing is certain, but he does have a way of proving people wrong.
“I feel like the sky is the limit for me,” he said. “Whatever I put my mind to, I’m going to do.”