Of all his distinguishingly dominant attributes on the hardwood, TJ Power’s ability to anticipate is his most majestic.
From counter moves to passing to areas to playing passing lanes like a veteran cornerback, Power’s bag runs deep on both ends of the floor.
“I pride myself in having a complete game,” Power says. “I try and think of everything.”
Naturally, he’s had the foresight to have hindsight about the moment that catapulted him from fringe of the top 100 to can’t-miss prospect and the object of affection for top college coaches all over the country.
“Kansas City man,” Power says matter-of-factly. “Kansas City.”
Power and his BABC (Mass.) squad entered the fourth and final Nike EYBL session and changed the course of his trajectory in a most peculiar setting.
“It was the last game of the night, like 9:30 p.m., and so there wasn’t really anyone in the gym but the teams and some coaches,” Power says.
His defining moment started out as anything but; silly overplays and hasty maneuvering earned him three fouls in the first quarter against Seattle Rotary, forcing him to sit the entire second quarter.
That’s when it happened.
Call it kismet or call it predestined, Power just calls it “a shift.”
The shift.
“I had five points at halftime, and we were losing pretty bad,” Power says. “I remember feeling like my back was against the wall. I knew I had to respond. I just came out aggressive; once I got into a rhythm it was over with.”
Perhaps it’s fitting that the moment happened in the City of Fountains because Power was raining jump shots in Hy-Vee Arena. He finished the game with 33 points, including going 5 of 6 from the three-point line, 10 rebounds and six assists in BABC's overtime win.
“Something really clicked in me mentally in that second half,” Power says. “It was a different feeling out there.”
DFRITZ
When Power trumped that gutsy performance with a 41-point, 15-rebound, five-assist outing in the next game, then finished the session as the Offensive MVP, averaging 23.7 points, eight rebounds and three assists a game, the blue blood offer party commenced. Over the course of five days, Power picked up offers from Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and UCLA.
“I was so starstruck that I couldn’t even process it all until the next week,” Power says. “I mean I’m taking FaceTimes with coaches like Jon Scheyer and guys like that. Me and my family were kinda smirking behind the scenes but trying to play it cool with the coaches, too. It’s definitely been nuts.”
To quell an inevitably overwhelming offer pile up, Power proactively held off the stampede.
“I didn’t want to lead anyone on,” Power says. “So, I had to tell some schools that I appreciated the offer, but I was gonna focus on what I had. It’s getting later in the process, and I don’t want things to get more complicated.”
Before the summer, Power had an impressive list of schools that included Virginia, Notre Dame, Iowa, Providence and Virginia Tech, among others. On Monday, Power cut his list of college suitors to Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa and Boston College.
“There’s a difference with having a lot of talent and having a lot of talent with guys that really know how to play,” Power says. “Bottom line for me is I want to win, and I’ve got great options where I’m confident I’ll be able to do that with guys who really know the game.”
Perhaps for balance’s sake, Power took home Defensive MVP of the Peach Invitational Tournament the week following Kansas City, averaging 15.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks; the perfect setup to take official visits to North Carolina and Duke the week after.
“Both visits surpassed the hype,” Power says. “Me and my family were blown away. UNC is a great college town. Coach [Hubert] Davis is awesome. I had a great time walking around with him and him telling stories. Being in the Dean Dome was honestly crazy, I was picturing myself playing there. Then Duke in Cameron was so cool and so historic. It was just crazy to be inside. I loved Coach Scheyer, he’s easy to relate to; he’s a young coach and the whole staff is young so everything about the visit was great. We had great talks on both visits.”
Not just with the basketball staffs either.
Power doubles as a pitcher for Worcester (Mass.) Academy, boasting an 87-mph fastball on the hill and hopes to be a dual-sport athlete at the next level.
“I had really good conversations with the baseball staffs at all of the schools that are recruiting me,” Power says. “I’ll have the opportunity to try and play both. It’s not like I’m coming in expecting to start and play a bunch of innings, I just want to be in a developed program and see how far I can go with that. All of the basketball coaches are on board with the idea.”
Caleb Foster can certainly understand why coaches are willing to be flexible with Power after the pair clashed for one of the most talked about battles at Peach Jam last month. Both players went for 28 points in front of a standing room-only crowd and a who’s who row of college basketball coaching heavyweights.
“He’s definitely one of the top players in the country,” says Foster, an elite 2023 point guard who is committed to Duke. “I didn’t know as much about him before that, but his skill set is just crazy, and he can hurt you in so many ways. He’s special.”
Power doesn’t anticipate taking those special talents to any new campuses for visits but will likely revisit some schools in order to get the full experience.
“Like at North Carolina the players weren’t there,” Power says. “A big thing for me is seeing a workout and seeing the team and meeting the players, so maybe I’ll go back there. I’m kinda taking August to have to myself, but if I do a visit, it would be maybe early September. I’m kinda aiming toward making a decision toward the end of September, but I don’t have a firm date right now.”
Power has already tried to have the infamous roundtable discussion elite prospects have with their inner circle, weighing the pros and cons of each school in hopes of organically clearing the path to the most ideal fit.
“Oh man it’s tough,” Power says. “It’s even harder than I thought it would be, but we’re taking things step-by-step.”
For now, Power is taking a standing eight count from an excitingly draining summer, full of countless games, an inordinate amount of TSA lines and more conversations than should be humanly allowed.
“I really enjoy this time with my family and just taking time to regroup,” Power says. “I didn’t want to do a bunch of showcases just because I’m not into all the clout.”
One quick Instagram search reinforces that stance; it’s been nearly a year since Power deleted his account in order “to refocus.”
“I don’t like being on my phone that much at all,” Power says. “All this is hard for me because, to some degree, I have to talk to the coaches and do some things. I’m also a really good student, so I like to concentrate on my schoolwork. I don’t have time to do it all. I have Twitter, but I don’t go overboard. I guess it’s just about balance for me. I’m going to take a little time then it’s right back to work for me.”
Where he won’t fall back into a similar routine again is mentally. Not after that muggy 9:30 p.m. game that prompted the mental shift. Not after the click.
“Since that game that changed everything, I’ve stayed with the same mentality,” Power says. “I can honestly say I’m a different player now. It’s just a different level of confidence for the most part, but I’m approaching everything in a different way; in a better way. This last month has just made me hungrier to get so much better.”
