J.D. Powell has been promoted to assistant men’s basketball coach as announced by College of Charleston head coach Earl Grant on Wednesday.
Powell recently completed his second season as director of men’s basketball operations for the Cougars, who went a much-improved 17-14 overall in Grant’s second year at the helm of the program. They also finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation in scoring defense holding opponents to an average of 62.0 points per game – the seventh-lowest average in the program’s NCAA Division I era.
“I am really excited about the opportunity to promote J.D. to the assistant coach position,” said Grant, who elevated Powell after Dick Bender was hired at and returned to Clemson as an assistant coach. “He has done an awesome job the past two years as our director of basketball operations. His work ethic and commitment in our quest to move the program forward has been impressive. He adds great value to our staff and I look forward to seeing his continual impact on our program.”
Charleston went 9-4 in the non-conference action including an upset of preseason Top-25 ranked LSU and projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons at TD Arena. In addition, the Cougars claimed first-ever road wins at Navy, at James Madison and at Towson, while picking up the program’s second-ever CAA Tournament win against Delaware in the first round. CofC had seven players earn all-conference honors including Jarrell Brantley, who became the first Cougar freshman to be named conference Rookie of the Year since 2006.
“We have been able to build a strong foundation for our program over the last two years with the support of our administration, and I’m excited to now move into a new role,” Powell said. “I am thankful to Coach Grant, (Director of Athletics) Joe Hull and the College of Charleston for this exciting opportunity.”
Prior to CofC, Powell served as an assistant coach at The Citadel under head coach Chuck Driesell from 2010-14 and as an assistant coach at Charleston Southern University under head coaches Barclay Radebaugh and Jim Platt from 2004-10.
With a keen eye for talent, Powell served as recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs and was instrumental in signing two of the highest-rated recruits in Citadel Basketball history in 2013 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team selection Matt Van Scyoc out of Green Lake, Wisconsin, and three-star recruit Jake Wright, the fifth-ranked player in the state of Minnesota by ESPN.com in 2014. Marshall Harris III, a 2010 signee from San Antonio, Texas, led the SoCon in assists per game as a sophomore.
On the court, Powell was in charge of post player development including All-Southern Conference standout Mike Groselle out of Plano, Texas, and SoCon All-Freshman Team selection Brian White out of Richmond, Va. Groselle closed out his career as The Citadel’s all-time leader in double-doubles.
Prior to his time at The Citadel, Powell’s work with player development, recruiting, scouting and academic success of Charleston Southern student-athletes garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for Giedrius Knysas in 2008-09. He also mentored a pair of Big South Freshman of the Year recipients in Omar Carter (2007-08) and Jimmy Sexton (2008-09) on Barclay Radebaugh’s staff.
During the 2004-05 season, Powell was a key part of then-head coach Jim Platt’s staff that led the Buccaneers to wins over Liberty and High Point and a berth in the Big South Conference championship game. He also helped sign the No. 1-and No. 2-rated recruiting classes in the league in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by Rivals.com.
Powell got his start in collegiate athletics as a graduate manager with the men’s basketball program at Furman University for two seasons from 2002-04. His duties with the Paladins included day-to-day team operations, post player development, director of film and co-director of the Larry Davis Basketball Camp. He also worked in basketball operations for the NBDL’s Greenville Groove in Greenville, S.C.
A 2001 graduate of Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in speech and communications, Powell went on to earn his master’s degree in technology and human resource development at his alma mater in 2003.
He played for the Tigers from 1998-2000 – a two-year stretch which included a runner-up finish in the 1999 Postseason NIT under head coach Larry Shyatt. An ACC Honor Roll student, Powell began his time at Clemson as a team manager, but later became a walk-on and eventually earned a scholarship.
A native of Westminster, S.C., Powell is married to the former Kerri Tucker of Greenwood, S.C. The couple has three sons, Jack, Tucker and Hampton.
