Queensborough Athletics mourns the passing of former head men's basketball coach, Jerry Powell, Jr., who recently passed away at the age of 81.
Coach Powell led the men's basketball program at Queensborough Community College from 1988 until 1995. During his tenure, he would lead the Tigers to the 1991 Region XV Championship, and a 3rd place finish at the NJCAA Division III National Championships in Delhi, New York. The Tigers finished 27-10 on the season, as Coach Powell was named the Region XV Coach of the Year. Coach Powell would also lead the Tigers to back-to-back CUNYAC Championships in 1994 and 1995.
Jerry Powell, Jr. fell in love with basketball at a young age, and would become a standout at Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he would team with NBA legends and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Lenny Wilkens and Connie Hawkins, as well as 3-time All-Star and 1963 World Series Champion, Tommy Davis. Following high school, he would attend North Carolina A&T on a basketball scholarship and once again team with a pair of NBA legends and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers in Al Attles and Hugh Evans.
No stranger to professional basketball, Coach Powell himself would join the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant coach for the 1995-96 season. In 1997, he would serve as the head coach and general manager of the Philadelphia Power of the USBL (United States Basketball League). In the years after, he would also serve as an advanced scout for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Bobcats, and Washington Wizards.
Coach Powell is a member of the Boys High School Athletics Hall of Fame and the North Carolina A&T Athletics Hall of Fame.
Jerry Powell, Jr. is survived by his wife Alberta of 60 years, sons Anthony and Mark, and three grandchildren, as well and many relatives and extended family.
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Courtesy of Queensborough Athletics