After two seasons at a junior college and another year at a Division II school in Connecticut, Rico Powell wanted to play basketball somewhere that felt like home.
He found exactly what he was looking for this season at North Park.
In fact, the 2020 Brother Rice graduate acclimated so well to his new team and school that he earned a place on the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin First Team.
In helping the Vikings to a 14-12 overall record and a mark of 9-7 in the CCIW, the 6-foot-2 senior guard started 24 games. Powell averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds, while making 43 3-pointers to go along with 43 steals and 29 assists. He also shot 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, making 70 of 84 attempts.
“This means a lot to me,” Powell said of the all-conference honor. “My basketball journey hasn’t been easy, so just getting an award like that means a lot.
“I have to thank my family, my teammates, my coaches, my mom and God for allowing me to continue to play the sport that I love.”
Powell’s basketball travels began at Malcolm X College in Chicago where he played two seasons before heading off to Post University, a Division II school in Connecticut. Powell played in just three games last season, averaging 2.3 points per game.
After the season, Powell decided to return to Chicago and play at North Park.
“That was kind of tough for me being away from home for the first time,” Powell said. “But then transferring again and coming back home, everything was able to work itself out. I just had to trust in the process and trust in my work.
“I was definitely homesick and I wasn’t playing a sport that I love because I was sitting on the bench. … I wanted to come back home for my last year and one of my closest friends is (North Park’s) Tremaine Gardner. He put the word in with the coach here. …They loved me, they loved my game and wanted me to come here and play for them.”
While he only played one season at North Park, Powell said it was a positive experience that meant a great deal to him.
“I enjoyed playing with these guys and I enjoyed being coached by the coaches,” Powell said. “They really made this feel like home. I was so excited and so happy being able to just play basketball and just being able to have fun with it.
“At the college level, it can be hard to have a joy for the game because it’s really like a business as well as a sport at the end of the day. But to be able to come here and play the sport and feel like a kid again, that’s felt great.”
● In Akron’s 80-67 victory over visiting South Alabama in the MAC-SBC Challenge on Feb. 8, the Zips were led by Lyons alum Tavari Johnson, who scored a team-high 20 points to go with four assists and three steals.
The 5-foot-11 junior guard has started all 28 games this season for Akron, leading the team in free-throw percentage (.906) and assists (114). He’s second in 3-pointers (43) and scoring (12.9 ppg).