AUBURN, Ala. – It's time to meet the Class of 2020. Over the next three weeks, we'll be bringing you Q&As with all five newcomers. First up is Justin Powell, a sharp-shooting guard from Kentucky.
Favorite movie? The Blind Side
Favorite food? Anything seafood
Favorite musical artist? Lil' Baby
What video game are you playing right now? FIFA
What was the go-to Netflix show during quarantine? Shooter
What do you plan to major in? Marketing
Do you have any nicknames?
Powell: I've got a couple. The one everybody calls me is JP. Silent Assassin is the one that Sharife just gave me. That's the one a lot of the guys have been rocking with.
Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?
Powell: It's kind of weird but my socks – I've got to have them perfect. They have to be perfect always. So if somebody in the game hits one down or it just happens on a play, you always see me fixing my socks. It's got to be perfect. I don't know why.
What's something people don't know about you?
Powell: I'm really left-handed. I'm ambidextrous, but I'm really left-handed. My parents didn't know when I was younger, so they taught me everything righty like my brother, but I was left-handed. So I can do both and I do a lot of things left-handed naturally, but with basketball, I do a lot of things righty because that's what they taught me. I shoot right. But I can shoot left and it's just as fluid – it's just not as powerful.
What sport would you play if you weren't playing basketball?
Powell: Baseball for sure. I played competitive when I was younger and then in eighth grade, I had to make the decision, so I just decided I wanted to focus on basketball. I was a decent little baseball player.
When did you start playing basketball?
Powell: When I was four. My first game ever – the court was obviously smaller, and the goals were little six-foot goals – but we had our first league game, and I hit a half-court shot to win the game. I kind of knew after that it was my sport.
What is the biggest basketball highlight of your career?
Powell: I hit a game-winner my sophomore year. It was for a big championship around here, and that was probably the biggest one. There were two seconds left, and I hit a 3. So that was pretty big.
How about the first time you dunked?
Powell: I actually dunked on somebody for my first dunk. It was my eighth-grade year, I was playing up on freshman. I never tried it before, and it was randomly just in game. I went up and dunked on the dude. I sat there for a second like "Wow, that just happened." I ran back on defense. That was my first dunk ever.
Is there a player you model your game after?
Powell: Tyler Herro and Kevin Huerter are kind of the main two but mostly Tyler Herro.
What made you choose Auburn?
Powell: First thing first, it was BP. Just a great coach, awesome coach. I wanted to play for him. And then just the family atmosphere. I took my official visit, and after that visit, I went home, thought about it for a couple days and I just instantly knew this is the place I want to be. It was comfortable. I'm a decent way from home, so I wanted to be comfortable again. Going to Auburn, I'm obviously comfortable being down there, and I just wanted to be in a family atmosphere.
What stood out from your visits to Auburn?
Powell: Just the people. That "War Eagle" goes a long way. You hear that, and everybody is a family. Even just walking around, when I was walking around after the Iron Bowl down on Toomer's, everybody was just welcoming. It was a comfort thing. It was just awesome.
Have you heard "War Eagle" outside of Auburn yet?
Powell: I actually have. I was at a high school game, one of my games this past year. It was the King of the Bluegrass, so it's a big one, it's like a national tournament. It was a packed gym, semifinals, and we were playing the No. 1 team in the state. We were coming down from the bleachers ready to go into the locker room, and I see a guy stand up, he's got a big orange Auburn shirt on, and he yells "War Eagle" in the middle of the game. They're playing, and everybody looks up toward him. I look up at him, I yell it back. Everybody was laughing. It's like, "You don't understand. That's just what we do."
Give me one word to describe Bruce Pearl.
Powell: Energetic.
How do you see yourself fitting into the team this year?
Powell: Just playing a part, whatever they need me to play. Play a little 2, 3, 1 – back up some people. Just come in, bring some shooting to the table, my play-making ability and being that facilitator, just the all-around game. Whatever they need, I'll do.
What's it been like watching Auburn basketball the last couple years?
Powell: It's been awesome. You see them develop under BP. You see all these guys like me, 3- and 4-star recruits that come in – we're the underdogs. People don't really take us seriously. And then you see somebody like Jared (Harper) or Bryce (Brown) take those roles and exceed with those. They do stuff like go to the Final Four and all that. It's just cool watching all that, especially when I was considering Auburn really highly. You see them in the tournament and you've got people coming up to you at school, "You're thinking about going there?" I was like, "Yeah, it's a good school." It was really cool watching them and seeing them thrive.