By Michael Letendre
Even after Bristol Central’s basketball center Julius Powell tore his ACL playing football for the school as a senior in 2022, more than a couple colleges were still interested with his hardwood abilities.
Powell rehabbed his knee and even off that injury, the men’s basketball program from Connecticut College committed to the big man.
And while the senior only scored two points in the final regular season game against Bristol Eastern last year, the 6-foot-9, 250 pound forward/center made enough of an impression over his junior campaign to sign the dotted line to play at Connecticut College.
It was a great signing by the program and Powell should fit in well with the collegiate team.
After that grueling knee injury, Powell was able to retake the court on the scholastic level just once – starting the final BC/BE showdown on February 20 from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium.
In a fitting moment for the hard-working big man, Powell posted a quick hoop, coming right out of the game to a standing ovation at Bristol Eastern.
But there were enough flashes during his junior campaign – on a team that was a prefect 28-0 and went all the way to the CIAC Division II championship – to make the signing by Connecticut College a good one.
Powell did a tremendous job backing up a 7-foot-2 All-Stater by the name of Donovan Clingan for a couple seasons.
And when the current UConn center got in foul trouble or needed a break, Powell was always up for the challenge.
Sure, he saw some minutes during the point of a game when the score was already out of reach for opponents, but there were bouts of tremendous play in crunch time that showed Powell could compete at the next level (buy my book ‘Dream Team’ for further reading on Powell’s exploits during his junior campaign).
And forget about his 2.4 points-per-game because his value went far beyond a bucket per game.
Who banged and challenged Clingan during practices in the midst of Central’s championship run?
Winning practice was a huge deal and the Rams – and Powell – did that on a daily basis under the watchful eye of head coach Tim Barrette.
His defense was undeniable as Central went from a 7-foot-2 center to a 6-foot-9 backup – not an easy proposition to handle if you were the opposing team.
It was that positional defense that every school wish they could have enjoyed out of their backup center.
Central had two of those giants who could man the paint, grab rebounds and block shots.
And the offensive flashes Powell showed as a junior made a loud impression of the player that he could become at the next level.
For sure, he would have been a CCC South, All Conference player – averaging a double-double over his senior campaign if it weren’t for the injury.
He also would have helped the Rams navigate the tough waters of CIAC Division I basketball.
Throughout his junior campaign, there were enough sample spaces to keep colleges interested in Powell.
After opening the season with a blitzing of Southington from Trinity College, Central battled East Catholic on December 20, 2021, from Mohegan Sun Arena – pitting two of the best teams in the state.
Clingan got into foul trouble during second half play, Powell came in, connected on a couple second half hoops and off his second bucket, a put-back on his own miss, the Rams nabbed a huge 57-40 edge with 7:29 left to play.
Clingan, saddled with those four fouls, saw Central eventually etch up a 19-point edge with Powell in the middle of everything.
Think Connecticut College took note of that televised performance?
Powell then added eight points against Eastern eight days later and played big minutes in the 53-44 victory over Springfield Central on January 14.
In his final regular season game as a junior, he added another eight points in the rematch against Eastern on February 21.
Overall, Powell netted 61 points over 20 games for a regular season average of 3.0 ppg as he backed up Clingan who, sometimes, never left the game.
But Powell is going to have a chance to resume his basketball career at the collegiate level and Connecticut College should be a perfect fit.
Connecticut went 14-11 overall last season, going a combined 11-3 at home and neutral sites.
The college, based out of New London, is a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), a NCAA Division III program.
