UNC Basketball Jonathan Powell Q&A: ‘Instantly It Clicked With Hubert’

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina transfer addition Jonathan Powell met with reporters Friday afternoon. The rangy 6-foot-6 swingman played his freshman season at West Virginia, before joining the Tar Heels through the transfer portal.

Powell started the final 23 games for the Mountaineers last season, and finished with averages of 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He shot 35.2 percent from 3-point range, and his 64 makes beyond the arc ranked second on West Virginia’s team. His total of 18 turnovers on the season marked the lowest turnover percentage in the Big 12 Conference last season.

One of 10 newcomers on UNC’s overhauled roster, Powell talked on Friday about building instant chemistry with his new Carolina teammates, his competitiveness in practice, and why he calls himself “the best shooter in the country.”

The Tar Heels are holding their Blue-White scrimmage game on Saturday, a hour after the UNC-Clemson football game finishes. Later this month, UNC has a high-profile exhibition game at BYU (Oct. 24), and another exhibition game against Winston-Salem State (Oct. 29) to use for preparation in ramping up ahead of the new season, which begins with the Nov. 3 opener against Central Arkansas.

Watch Powell’s full interview from Friday’s availability at the Smith Center, and scroll down to read some noteworthy comments below.

What were you looking for in a team throughout the portal process? And what about Hubert Davis’s pitch was attractive to you?

Powell: “The main thing for me was looking for a coach that believed in me and my abilities and what I can do on the court, and really it’s having that relationship with a coach. Instantly, it clicked with Hubert. And seeing what he liked in my game and what I could do for his team, and I really picture myself doing that — playing for him and playing with North Carolina across my chest. So that’s something I wanted to do.”

Where does your confidence come from?

Powell: “Ever since I was little, my mom told me don’t worry about what no one thinks about you. Just be you. So I’ve always carried that wherever I went. If it’s off the court, on the court, just being me and playing confident, that’s what makes me the player I am. Just playing with confidence and edge.”

What have you worked on the most since getting here? And how do you stack up against the other shooters on this Carolina team?

Powell: “I’ve always had the same abilities. But I’ve really worked on getting to the rim, really switching it up, (since) being here. I’m more than (shooting) the three, and I’m looking forward to showing you guys that this year. … We compete in everything. I mean, I think I’m the best shooter in the country. That’s just from my confidence. So every time I step in the gym, no matter where it is and who else is in there, I think I’m the best shooter.”

Seth Trimble has mentioned how quickly this team meshed over the summer, after maybe just two weeks together. How long did it take in your mind? And what do you think allowed you guys to bond quickly with that many new arrivals?

Powell: “I didn’t expect us to gel that fast. I thought it would be like a couple people who were kind of being in their shell and really didn’t want to open up. But I think what helped us really be able to gel so fast is that the open gyms that we had early in the summer. A lot of them got chippy because everyone’s competitive, everyone wants to win. So I think with that, it allowed us to bond quickly and really just settle in with one another.”