Former Peabody, Tech standout Powell dies at 27
By Randy Benson • rbenson@thetowntalk.com • July 25, 2009
Wayne X. Powell, a former Peabody Magnet High School and Louisiana Tech University star who played professional basketball in Europe, died Thursday night after collapsing on the court during a pick-up game.
He was 27.
"This is just unbelievable," said former Louisiana Tech coach Keith Richard, who now is an assistant at LSU. "I was just visiting Wayne last week."
Powell was playing basketball at the Alexandria YMCA on Thursday night when he fell and hit his head. Fellow players administered CPR on Powell until paramedics arrived. Powell was taken to a local hospital, where he was unable to be revived, Peabody basketball coach Charles Smith said.
Smith is acting as the spokesman for the family, which has asked for privacy, he said.
Powell's father, the Rev. Wayne H. Powell, is pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church in Alexandria. Wayne X. Powell was married to his high school sweetheart, Shawand. The couple has a child that was born on Father's Day.
He also is survived by his mother, Dorothy Powell.
"Wayne was a great family man," Smith said. "He really loved his parents. He was very close to them. He was a great husband and a great father."
Powell sat out the 2008-09 season as a player while recovering from surgery. He worked as a volunteer assistant under Smith at Peabody.
"He was instrumental in our success," Smith said. "We had a very young team, and we were able to go 31-7 and make a return trip to the (Class 4A quarterfinals)."
Powell might have had a bright future in coaching. He recently put on a basketball camp for kids at the Alexandria YMCA and a second camp was scheduled for this weekend.
"He was great with kids," Richard said by cell phone while on a recruiting trip. "He was great with my kids. They were young when he was at Tech. Wayne loved being around kids and related to them well."
Powell had hoped to resume his playing career this year. He was trying to receive an invitation to an NBA training camp, knowing that if that didn't happen, he could return overseas.
Powell had played in Hungary, Germany, Dubai and Saudi Arabia during his professional career, typically earning more than $100,000 a season.
Powell, a 6-foot-9 forward/center, played two years at Holy Savior Menard before transferring to Peabody, joining the Warhorses in time to help them win a state title in 2000.
"For a big man, he had an uncanny passing ability," Smith said. "He was able to feed the ball to players out on the wing."
His success continued at Louisiana Tech, where his career overlapped with the career of current NBA star Paul Millsap. Powell averaged 10.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game in 2004-2005 as a senior at Tech.
"He was a great guy," Richard said. "If you were having a bad day, he would put a smile on your face. He's the type of guy you wanted to have in your program.
"I just can't believe he's gone. It's unbelievable."