Nobody putting up points like Prince of Peace senior Hakeal Powell

Nobody in the state is scoring points like Hakeal Powell this season.

The Prince of Peace senior leads all high school players in Iowa at 31.8 points per game, including an epic 60-point performance Friday against Wilton.

For all the points Powell has provided this season 509 to date he also enjoys dishing to his teammates.

The perfect game for me is a double-double with points and assists, the 6-foot-1 point guard said.

I definitely try to get my teammates the ball.

As a point guard thats my number one job.

When everyones involved and contributing, were a better team.

Powell is doing plenty of both this season.

In fact, hes been doing it for four years.

With seven regular-season games left, Powell has 1,822 points, 451 rebounds, 261 assists and 207 steals.

In Powell's school-record breaking performance on Friday, 41 of his 60 points came in the second half.

I dont put too much into (the numbers).

Some games I need to score more, some games its the other stuff, said Powell, whose preferred method of scoring is driving to the basket.

From game to game, its just about doing what our team needs to win.

Thats my main thing.

Longtime Price of Peace head coach Gerry Murphy knew they had something special early.

Before his freshman season, Powell performed well against Pleasant Valley and other large schools during summer camps.

We just kind of threw him out there, and were watching and he didnt look out of place at all, Murphy said.

Hes been at Prince of Peace since kindergarten.

Hes always been really good; you just dont see a lot of freshmen kind of step in and be your best guy.

Powells success is no accident.

He is the prototypical gym rat.

You have to kick him out of the gym otherwise hed be there all night, Murphy said.

He loves the game.

He likes to talk basketball.

Hes the first one in, last one out.

In a way, its Murphys fault.

Before I got my license, coach would pick me up and bring me to the gym, and I never wanted to leave, Powell said.

Coach Murphy has always been really supportive.

He helped me out a lot.

Hes a great coach.

Murphy is coming up on a milestone himself.

The retired 69-year-old is three wins short of 300 going into Tuesday nights home game against Calamus-Wheatland.

Murphy joined the program as an assistant coach in 1997 when his son Ryan was on the team and never left.

You end up with a swinging door of coaches ...

I thought if I took it, there would be no favoritism, I would just be there to coach, he said after taking the head job in 2001-02.

I thought Id do it for a few years and then hand off.

Well, Im still here.

There have been a lot of good players to wear the Irish colors in that time, but Powell ranks with any of them.

Kids like Hakeal dont come around very often, Murphy said.

We try to stack the teams against him in practice.

We challenge him as much as we can, but he likes that.

Hes a competitive kid.

Murphy said Powells impact was felt beyond the stat sheet.

Hes great with his teammates.

He wants to see them succeed and you can see that in how he plays, Murphy said.

Hes just a good kid.

Powells numbers arent hollow.

Theyre not being padded in meaningless games.

Prince of Peace (9-7, 5-3 Tri-Rivers-East) trails only Lisbon (10-5, 6-2) and powerhouse Bellevue Marquette Catholic (14-0, 8-0) in the conference standings.

Powell, and fellow captain Logan Detterman (13.2 ppg and 10.6 rpg), are hoping to lead the Irish on a postseason run.

Were having a pretty good season, but we definitely feel like we can do more, Powell said.

A big thing for me is giving our young guys confidence, helping them grow for this year, but the years after this, too.

Powells goal is to play Division I basketball but believes the best route is to prove himself at the junior college level first.

Hes undecided on where that will be, but his choice could come at anytime.

His main focus is on finishing the season strong.

I want to have fun and help us win games, Powell said.

Basketball has always been fun, but it's more fun when you win.

Sent weekly directly to your inbox! Sports Editor {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..

This article has been shared from the original article on qctimes, here is the link to the original article.