Senior forward Adrian Powell was not only named MVP of the MEAC tournament, but he made his mark in Aggie history as he reached the 1,000 career points list.

Powell scored his 1,000th point at the 3:52 mark of the first half during the Delaware State game when he knocked down a shot from the foul line.

During this game, Powell went on to be the leading scorer with 23 points and led the team with nine rebounds.

According to Powell, free throws is one thing he struggled with most this season, but during the tournament, his free throw percentage was outstanding. “I knew I had to step up and get the free throws,” said Powell.

Powell developed into a scoring threat during his junior year at A&T. He came into the 2012-13 season with 591 points, 312 rebounds, 90 steals and 87 assists.

The left hander has held a 45.2 field goal percentage throughout his career, while shooting 71 percent from the free throw line, and 32.3 percent from beyond the arch.

Powell is a versatile player and can play both the shooting guard and small forward positions.

The senior star was a dominating presence in the championship game.

He knocked down two free throw shots with 23.2 seconds left in regulation giving the Aggies a three point lead. “I fought hard in that last game,” said Powell.

He also managed to block DeWayne Jackson’s, senior forward of Morgan State and first-team All-MEAC selection, attempt from beyond the arch to tie the game in the final seconds. “I barely nipped it and blocked it, but it was just enough to alter his shot,” said Powell.

According to junior guard Lamont Middleton, Powell came through in the clutch for the team many times when they were in scoring droughts and performed as a senior should.

“He just accepted the role of being a complete player, closing out games and wanting to win,” said Middleton.

Senior forward Austin Witter is very proud of Powell. According to Witter, Powell did not play much his freshman year so it is unreal that he was able to score his 1000th career point in three years rather than four.

“I’m glad we’re both able to go out the way we did,” said Witter.

In the first match of the tournament against Florida A&M, Powell was a leading scorer with 11 points and also had five rebounds. In the second match up against N.C. Central, Powell racked up 13 points and went 5-7 at the free throws.

Powell continued to display his laeadership in the third game versus Delaware State where he achieved his 1,000th career point. He led the team with 23 points and shot one hundred percent from the foul line. In the championship game against Morgan State, he led with 14 points and 3 steals.

He said, the team just had to have confidence in one another because they knew they had a chance to win the title.

“Once we got over that hump of winning two games in a row, I knew we were going to do it,” said Powell.

As a player, Powell did not have much confidence in himself at first, but he believes he has gained it over the years.

“Coach Cy came in and he believed in me more than any other coach I have had,” said Powell.

According to head coach Cy Alexander, Powell works hard, deserves the MVP title and every bit of recognition he has gotten so far. “I’m happy for him,” said Alexander.

Powell finished the MEAC tournament averaging 15.3 points and 5 rebounds.

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• Uniqua Quillins, Register Reporter