POPLARVILLE, Miss. — A national scoring leader, two-time All-American, SEC standout and WNBA Champion, Elaine Powell did nearly everything during her playing career from Pearl River to LSU and onto the professional ranks. Her legacy lives on at PRCC and with her scoring records still sitting atop the NJCAA record book, the current Langston University coach has been selected for enshrinement into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
This year's inductees were originally supposed to be honored April 25 at a banquet in Raymond, but the celebration was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
"Elaine is very deserving of this honor, in which she will add another highlight to her basketball resume. She is a proven winner and has one of the most decorated stories in women's basketball from her time here at Pearl River, LSU, and her time in the WNBA as a world champion," current Pearl River women's basketball coach Scotty Fletcher said of Powell, who starred at PRCC from 1993-95. "She has continued that success into her personal and professional life as expected. Her name will forever be linked to our record books and her story will always be used as a platform to inspire and encourage young women that come through our program at Pearl River."
DALLAS OR POPLARVILLE?
Powell's storybook career almost didn't open at PRCC. Instead of playing at Pearl River, the Monroe, Louisiana, native was headed to Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas.
"I got a little homesick and kept calling home every day to come home and my mom and dad finally bought into me coming home," Powell recalled. "What happened was I found out my sister was actually headed to Pearl River. I just figured Coach (Polly) Kirkland would offer me a scholarship as well.
"By the time I got off the bus coming home from Texas, I hopped into a van headed for Pearl River. That's how I got to Pearl River, to make a long story short."
In hindsight, the choice to head to Poplarville instead of Dallas was the launching point for a lengthy career in basketball.
"I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to play with my sister," Powell said. "They say everything happens for a reason. I made a great choice. I made lifelong friendships with everyone at Pearl River. Coach Kirkland and her family and I are still real close.
"I think it worked out for everybody."
INSTANT SUCCESS
The Wildcats saw instant success with Powell in 1993-94. PRCC's yearbook later reported Powell helped "rewrite the record book." As it turned out, Powell was re-writing more than just PRCC's achievements.
Pearl River posted a 26-5 record, won the MACJC South and MACJC Championship before finishing runner up in the Region XXIII Tournament. The Wildcats' 12-0 record in the South was a first for the program.
Powell also saw plenty of personal success as she averaged 27.5 points while averaging nine rebounds and registering 39 blocks. While her scoring led the nation, Powell was named First Team All-MACJC, selected to the All-Region XXIII Tournament team and picked up NJCAA All-America honors.
Powell eclipsed 40 points in a game three times, eclipsed 30 points in eight games and shot 52 percent from the floor. Her 27.5 ppg led the nation.
Although Powell garnered plenty of recognition after her incredible freshman campaign, the former Wildcat credited the team around her for their success.
"I think the people around me made it easier for me. We had a really good team. I didn't think nothing of how good we were going to be. But once you get to hanging out and get to clicking, you develop lifelong friendships and start caring about the person who's alongside of you," she said. "I was always in attack mode. Being able to shoot, pass or whatever. I knew a lot of people were going to lockdown on me, but when you have great teammates who are capable of scoring, that helps open up the floor.
"Coach Kirkland put together a great team. We had weapons at every position so you couldn't just key in on me. I can have 30-something, and then my sister would have 20-something."
Powell's encore in Poplarville was on another level; an impressive statement after considering her incredible freshman campaign.
The Wildcats built a 26-8 record, won the Region XXIII Championship, and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament in Tyler, Texas for the first time in the program's history.
Powell took her game to the next level as well. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 31.6 ppg, once again leading the NJCAA. During the 1994-95 season, Powell scored more than 50 points in a game, eclipsed 40 points three times and 30 points 19 times. Powell was named All-MACJC, All-Region XXIII and was a First Team NJCAA All-American as well as a Kodak All-American.
"In the moment it didn't matter about the accolades or anything else," Powell said. "We just wanted to go as far as we could go. I think teams do better when they don't think 'OK, let's win this, let's win that.'
"You just go on and win every game and before you know it you win yourself a championship."
By the time Powell's two seasons at PRCC were over, the All-American had set numerous NJCAA records; three still stand: 1,073 points in a season, 1,927 points in a career and 29.6 ppg career scoring average.
When informed about her records, which still stand 25 years later, Powell was taken aback.
"I didn't know that. I need to find some of these record books," she laughed. "When you look at it, and hear someone else say it, makes me think, 'hey, I was actually pretty good.' You always hear your family and friends say 'you're good' but you expect them to say that because they're your family and friends.
"Just to hear other people say stuff, it makes you feel great like you accomplished something."
AFTER PRCC
Powell had her choice of four-year suitors after wrapping up playing for Kirkland and ultimately settled on LSU despite never visiting the campus.
"My biggest thing was I wanted to go somewhere that I could make a difference. At the time, Tennessee was rolling and doing their thing. I wanted to go somewhere and do something where my name could be stamped. Like she helped turn this program around," Powell said. "LSU was the perfect fit. I tell people this all the time. I never stepped foot on the campus. It was having conversations with those coaches, I just felt like it was a fit for me. It was about basketball, but it was about more than just that with them. It was about life skills and preparing you for life after basketball. That made me pick LSU.
"I felt like it was home away from home."
Powell ended up being the first LSU player selected in the WNBA draft when she was picked by the Orlando Miracle in the fourth round of the 1999 draft.
Powell spent three-and-a-half seasons in Orlando before joining the Detroit Shock midway through the 2002 season. As a member of the Shock, Powell became a valuable member of the organization by leading the team to three WNBA World Championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
Powell later got into coaching, first serving as an assistant at Grambling State, Alabama A&M and Ohio, before taking over Langston University.
Powell was inducted into the Pearl River Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
FELLOW WILDCATS ENSHRINED
Powell joins a long list of former Wildcats who are already enshrined, including Dobie Holden (2007), Willie Heidelberg (2007), Antrice McGill Walker (2007), Jerrel Wilson (2008), Tommy Walters (2008), Frank Branch (2009), J.E. Loiacano (2010), Bobby Weaver (2011), Mack Cochran (2012), Darryl Stephen (2013), Doug Daniels (2014), J. Larry Ladner (2015), Jeffrey Posey (2016), Jay Artigues (2017), Larry Whigham (2018) and Tim Hatten (2019).
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