“I committed yesterday,” Damon Powell (6-6, 212) told BarkBoard.com on Saturday morning.
His commitment is welcoming news to Fresno State fans that saw Powell dominate Valley high schools single handily last year during the Clovis Elks Tournament. No one could stop Powell one-on-one in the paint, however, at Fresno State he will move to the three-guard.
“Stronger than my game last year,” Powell said about his basketball skills this summer. “I’m feeling good with my outside shot right now. In high school, I never took an outside shot because I knew I was too much of a beast in the paint. That’s why I never took outside shots in a game. I know I’m playing different kind of ball, so I know I got to change it up this year.”
Powell took an official visit to Fresno State in February. But for some reason, Fresno State never received his transcripts. Furthermore, he did not commit to another four-year school. Speculation centered on his grades, but Powell said his grades were fine and committing to College of Southern Idaho had nothing to do with not qualifying.
“[Fresno State] didn’t get any of papers that I faxed over that’s what took a minute,” said Powell. “My grades were already ready I was just going to junior college because I wanted to get used to playing to college basketball and college players.
“[Fresno State] was my favorite all along because it was closer to my home, driving distance for my family. It was the one [college] I wanted to go to all along.”
Powell expects to be in Fresno within a few weeks. He also expects to sign his National Letter of Intent as soon as he receives it. “I haven’t signed yet,” he added. “I’m waiting for them to fax the paper to sign it.”
His late addition is comes less than a month after a scholarship became available with the departures of PG Bryce Cartwright and F Brian Seals. Powell will be the sixth player to sign with the Bulldogs in this class. He will join fellow preps C Greg Smith, F Jerry Brown, and G Garrett Johnson, JUCO PG Steven Shepp, and New Mexico transfer Jonathan Wills.
Powell is relieved the process is over. His focus now is on playing D1 college basketball. “It feels good, I’m ready to play to ball,” said Powell. “After the high school was over, I was ready.”
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