Williamsburg Christian Academy alumnus Deron Powers is familiar with traveling from Virginia to New York — he used to do it every summer during his elementary and middle school years to visit his father while living with his mother in Virginia the rest of the year.
Years later, Powers is once again departing to New York from Virginia, this time to play college basketball.
After playing basketball for three years at Hampton University, Powers announced his decision to transfer to Hofstra University last week after visiting the campus for the first time Aug. 11.
Heading into his final year of college basketball eligibility, Powers was looking to play for a “better program” in a “better setting” than Hampton University. Powers spoke with teams such as the University of Illinois and the University of Memphis – both of which have played in multiple NCAA Tournament Final Fours – regarding a potential transfer.
Talks between Powers and the two schools fell through, leading him to talk to smaller Division I schools like the University of Nevada, Albany University, Hofstra and Iona College. After studying game film on Hofstra and taking a visit to the campus located in Hempstead, New York, Powers knew it was the right place for him and committed to the school before his visit came to a close.
“I watched the tape on them, they like to get in transition and score points,” Powers said of Hofstra, which finished with a 20-14 record last season. “I love teams that get the ball and get out on the run. I think my style will fit perfectly.”
Before stepping on the court for Hofstra, Powers will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. It’s a situation Powers said he is actually excited about.
“It’ll give me a year to get my body right, get in shape and all those things,” Powers said. “I’m really excited to see how my body reacts to that.”
After playing at an average weight of 158 pounds for the past three seasons, Powers, who averaged more than 10 points per game every year in college, is hoping to bulk up to 170 pounds for his final campaign.
A criminal justice major, Powers plans to finish his degree at Hofstra and prepare for a life after college basketball.
At Williamsburg Christian Academy, Powers was a two-time all-state point guard who led the Eagles to the school’s first-ever state championship his senior year before being named the Virginia Independent Sports Athletic Association Division III State Player of the Year. He averaged 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals during his senior year.
