Sunday's Globe has a good article on Leon Powe and how fatherhood has had a strong effect on him. It touches on the subject of Powe's childhood and the tough times this kid has gone through. You can't read his story and not pull for him.
In case you aren't aware of all that Powe has gone through in his life to get to where he is at, here is a little background. This kid has had a rough life and has come through it a strong person and a gritty basketball player. His dad left the family when he was only 2. At seven, Powe's younger brother, Timothy, accidentally burned down the family's duplex while playing with matches. His mother struggled with the burdens of raising the family and was arrested for theft, fraud and drug possession. Leon missed almost his entire fifth grade year...caring for his siblings. Shortly after the fire his mother, Connie Landry, lost custody of her five kids, who were put into foster care.
“The best part,” Powe said, “was it taught me to cherish anything you have, always work hard and don’t take anything for granted. The worst part was every day having to see my mom struggle a little bit. That wasn’t easy for me, and I couldn’t do nothing about it.”
During his junior year in high school, Powe’s mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 41, just days before he was to play for the state title. Despite the family’s troubles, he remained close with her and the loss weighed heavily upon his performance. With his mother's death less than a week behind him, Powe poured in nineteen points and grabbed ten rebounds against No. 1-ranked Westchester High School of Los Angeles. To make things worse, only weeks later, he ripped the ACL in his left knee while playing in an AAU tournament in Houston. This is an injury that might have stopped a lot of people, but Powe worked hard on rehab and went on to Cal. He came back to play his senior year on his reconstructed knee and was a Parade All American, a McDonalds All American and a top 10 prospect for college recruiters.
Powe played his college basketball for the California Golden Bears from 2003-2006. Powe had a great freshmen season. After averaging over 15 points and a conference-leading nine rebounds, he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and earned all-conference honors. In his freshman year, his GPA dipped below 2.0 and he was forced to sit out several games. Showing just what kind of determination he has, he improved his GPA to a 3.5 by his junior year.
Unfortunately, Powe’s good fortune did not last long. He still had severe pain in his reconstructed knee and he had surgery for a bone graft to relieve that pain. His knee didn't respond and they operated again and reconstructed the knee for a second time, his third major surgery on the same knee in the span of 2 years. A lesser person would have given up. But Powe persevered and went through rehab once again and he returned to Cal and became a dominant force. A stress fracture in his right foot sidelined him for the first two weeks his last season at Cal, but he refused to get discouraged. He came back from all of the surgeries and injuries to average 20.5 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game, becoming only the 6th player ever to lead the conference in both categories and was named a second team All American. He was also one of just three players in the nation to average a double-double.
In his profile at Draft.net, they list his strengths as:
" Very talented offensive player with the ability to play back to the basket or face up ... Explosive leaping ability despite the knee injuries ... Has great quickness, and crafty at getting around defenders to the basket ... Has a nose for the basket ... Very competitive and talented player, a real difference maker on the college level ... Ball handling is very good for a big forward ... Shooting ability out to 18 feet is good ... Has great upper body strength ... Super long arms and big hands make him like a magnet grabbing loose balls ... Great motor, competes hard ... " His weaknesses boil down to the knee injuries and the concerns of another injury along with his size. He is a bit undersized for a PF but his long arms and strength tend to make up for that.
Powe entered the draft after his junior season and was taken by the Nuggets with the 49th pick and immediately traded to the Celtics. Danny didn't have any picks left, but when he saw Powe still available, he got on the phones trying to make a deal with any team to get him. His knee has held up very well, and that concern seems to be forgotten. As the profile said, he is a bit undersized, but this isn't a problem since he has very long arms and he has a talent for positioning for rebounds so that his height doesn't really matter. He out-played Greg Oden in summer league and always seems to make good things happen when he is given playing time.
Last season, Leon averaged 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in just 11 minutes per game. This would translate to 18 points and 15 rebounds over 48 minutes. This season, he is only averaging 4.9 minutes per game but has averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in those few minutes. That would translate to 30 points and 17 rebounds over 48 minutes. Powe plays hard and gives his all every minute he is on the court. Doc has played him in 3-4 minute stints for the most part and it is amazing that he produces what he does with the way he gets minutes in spurts and the way Doc uses him in games. When he actually got playing time last season, he produced every time. In games where he got at least 25 minutes playing time he averaged almost a double double. It was no surprise to me that he played so well against the Sixers since every time he has been given time, he makes good things happen. Hopefully, Doc will realize that Leon can play and we will see more of him. He brings everything this team needs: toughness, inside scoring and defense, and rebounding.
It isn't really fair to say he is given time because he is one of the hardest workers on the team. His teammates all praise his work ethic. He is willing to learn and is very coachable and puts in the effort, and when he gets into a game, he plays hard and always makes the most of his opportunity.
But, his attitude and his humility are even more striking than his play and his work ethic. After being drafted by the Celtics in the second round of the draft, Powe had several options with that first paycheck he received from the Celtics. He could have spent it on a car or a house, or maybe he could have saved it for the future. He never had much so it would have been easy for him to justify spending it on something for himself.
Instead, Powe decided to host the inaugural Team Powe Basketball Camp at Merritt College. The all-day camp was free to kids' ages 7 through 18 and attracted well over 100 participants.
Powe still doesn't splurge on much for himself. With the help of his unofficial guardian, Bernard Ward, Powe met with a financial advisor to set up a monthly spending allowance. He still tries to help his siblings out and makes sure that they have what they need. Powe is very loyal to his simple roots and lives very simply. Ward had to encourage Powe to buy a watch because he didn't own one.
From an article this past summer in the Contra Costa Times, this says a lot about Powe's character:
Powe also believes he should use his position to get involved in the community. As a Cal student, he talked to children about the importance of education. He's doing the same thing in Boston. Cook (Leon's girlfriend) is as well, working in an after-school program for underprivileged kids.
Powe is going to spend most of this month in the Bay Area, and he is planning more charitable work while he is here.
"He feels like it's his job to give back to the community," Ward said. "He wants to talk to kids because he knows he can teach them. He feels like it's a big responsibility. Leon is the same guy he always was -- so humble, so down to earth."
His nickname in high school and college was "The Show." That is a great nickname, but the players on the Celtics' Summer League team his first season gave him a new nickname: "The Grown Man" because he is built like a Mack truck and is very mature for his age. I guess going through all the adversity has made him wise beyond his years as well as a very strong and gritty player. You have to pull for a kid who has gone through so much and yet has seemed to rise above it all.
