Auburn basketball’s rocky season is over but the disappointing news is only beginning. After missing 17 games due to a head injury that occurred in January, Auburn’s freshman guard Justin Powell has announced he will be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Powell shared his statement with 247Sports:
"“I’m very thankful for my time at Auburn,” Powell told 247Sports. “Thank you to Bruce Pearl, the Auburn staff, my teammates, the trainers, doctors and everyone at Auburn but I felt that this was the best decision for me at this time.”"
Out of the ten games that Powell played this season, he started seven of them. He led the team to a 6-2 non-conference record while Sharife Cooper was still ineligible due to the NCAA’s investigation.
This comes as pretty devastating news to Tiger fans, who were expecting the loss of Sharife Cooper but were unprepared for Justin Powell to transfer.
Me: happily scrolling thru Twitter then being hit with the Justin Powell transfer portal news. pic.twitter.com/QE9pTrujmM
— Auburn Tweeter (@Auburn_Tweeter) March 9, 2021
Justin Powell carried us through most of the non-conference season before getting hurt. I hate that he’s leaving but he’s been through a lot the last couple of months and I wish him nothing but the best going forward.
— Will (@ShootyHoopsWill) March 9, 2021
Some speculate that Powell’s decision to transfer is an attempt to get closer to home after his injury. It’s possible, unfortunately, that the Kentucky native could end up playing in blue and white next year.
Wherever he ends up, we sincerely wish Justin Powell the best of luck and we hope that he gets to play again despite his injuries. He did a lot for an Auburn basketball team that was stuck without a point guard, and we only wish to see him do well in the future.