Leon Powe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Power forward |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Show |
| Height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | January 22, 1984 Oakland, California |
| High school | Oakland Technical High School |
| College | California |
| Draft | 2nd round, 49th overall, 2006 Denver Nuggets |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
Leon "The Show" Powe (born January 22, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who currently is a member of the Boston Celtics.
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[edit] High school career
At Oakland Technical High School, Powe averaged 27.4 ppg, 14.2 rpg and 3.1 bpg as a senior and was named a first-team Parade All-American and the Gatorade California Player of the Year. A highly rated prep star, Powe was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game and became the first Oakland Tech athlete to have his number retired by the school. [1] At Tech he received the nickname "The Show," coined by Oakland Tribune sports writer David Schoen.
[edit] College career
Powe played his college basketball for the California Golden Bears from 2003-2006. Although he was part of Cal men's hoops for 3 seasons, he did not play in his sophomore year due to a serious knee injury. During his freshman season, he earned the PAC-10 freshman of the year, leading the conference in rebounding.
Questions abounded about whether Powe would be able to return to form following his knee surgery but he worked hard and rehabilitated to become a dominant force on the interior as he continued to improve his game. He produced 20.5 PPG and 10.1 RPG while leading Cal to a 20-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Powe was named California's most valuable player during a banquet in April 2006. Powe, who also was selected Cal's MVP as a freshman in 2004, averaged 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg to become just the sixth player ever to pace the conference in both categories. Named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers and ESPN.com, he was chosen to the All-Pac-10 team for a second time in 2006.
He decided to declare for the draft after his Junior year, which many thought was a mistake, because he was not drafted as highly as he might have had he stayed another year.
[edit] Professional career
After his junior year, Powe decided to enter his name in the 2006 NBA Draft. He had been projected as a mid-to-late first round pick, but he slid into the second round and the Denver Nuggets selected him with the 49th overall pick and traded him to the Boston Celtics. After playing for the Celtics summer league team, Powe was signed by the team to a 3 year contract. [2]
[edit] 2006-2007 Season
Powe began the year as a fourth string center behind Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine and Michael Olowokandi. After a rash of injuries submarined Boston's playoff chances, Powe received a limited opportunity to showcase his skills. He proved himself a capable defender who can alter shots and provide interior rebounding. On January 12, 2007, Powe made the most out of his 25 minutes and registered a career-high 12 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. On March 11, 2007, he scored a career-high 11 points against the Chicago Bulls. Head Coach Doc Rivers says he wants Powe to show more toughness, even if it means getting into foul trouble.
[edit] External links
| 2006 NBA Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Andrea Bargnani | LaMarcus Aldridge | Adam Morrison | Tyrus Thomas | Shelden Williams | Brandon Roy | Randy Foye | Rudy Gay | Patrick O'Bryant | Mouhamed Sene | J.J. Redick | Hilton Armstrong | Thabo Sefolosha | Ronnie Brewer | Cedric Simmons | Rodney Carney | Shawne Williams | Oleksiy Pecherov | Quincy Douby | Renaldo Balkman | Rajon Rondo | Marcus Williams | Josh Boone | Kyle Lowry | Shannon Brown | Jordan Farmar | Sergio Rodríguez | Maurice Ager | Mardy Collins | Joel Freeland |
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| Second Round James White | Steve Novak | Solomon Jones | Paul Davis | P.J. Tucker | Craig Smith | Bobby Jones | Kosta Perovic | David Noel | Denham Brown | James Augustine | Daniel Gibson | Marcus Vinicius | Lior Eliyahu | Alexander Johnson | Dee Brown | Paul Millsap | Vladimir Veremeenko | Leon Powe | Ryan Hollins | Cheick Samb | Guillermo Diaz | Yotam Halperin | Hassan Adams | Ejike Ugboaja | Edin Bavcic | Loukas Mavrokefalidis | J.R. Pinnock | Damir Markota | Will Blalock |
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