« Men’s Basketball 2014-15

Norman Powell

School
UCLA
Position
Guard
Major
History

Classroom

Powell is on schedule to fulfill his graduation requirements by the end of UCLA’s 2015 winter quarter. He will have completed his degree requirements in less than four years and will earn his bachelor’s degree in history.

Character

Powell has matured over his three-plus years as a UCLA student-athlete. As a freshman and sophomore, he was an integral player coming off the bench. During his junior season, he was one of two players to start all 37 games. Entering his senior year, Powell has established himself and embraced the role as the team leader. When he was not playing as much as he would have liked his first two years, Powell continued to work harder. After UCLA changed head coaches midway through his time in Westwood, Powell stayed the course and committed himself to his new coaches and his veteran teammates. As a senior, he knows that he will be looked on to lead the team both on and off the court. He will represent UCLA at Pac-12 Media Day in San Francisco on Oct. 23.

Community

Powell has centered his community service involvement around Increase the Peace, an athletic initiative in his hometown of San Diego aimed at stopping violence and bullying in schools. When returning to his community in the off-season, Powell has spoken to elementary and middle school children about his college career, his involvement in youth basketball, staying focused on school and staying motivated despite hardships in a troubled community filled with gang violence. He has worked with children and teens exposed to gang violence and related hardships, including children who have lost family members to due gang violence. Powell was introduced to this initiative by a former basketball coach who had a brother killed due to gang violence. Powell has also been involved on UCLA’s campus with the annual Dribble for the Cure event as well as with routine visits to the Mattel Children’s Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital.

Competition

Powell is UCLA’s only player on this season’s roster to have played in all 105 games for the Bruins in the last three seasons. He made major strides between his sophomore and junior season, having averaged 11.4 points and 2.8 rebounds as a junior. Over the past two seasons, Powell has been a key contributor to UCLA advancing to two NCAA Tournaments, winning the 2013 Pac-12 regular season crown and the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament title. As a junior, Powell helped UCLA win its first conference tournament championship since 2008 and advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. Powell is on track to become UCLA’s first player since 2009 (Darren Collison, Alfred Aboya) to have played significantly all four seasons and to have graduated in four years.