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Powell enjoying time as Bama GA
"When I graduated high school I went to Alabama Southern for one year because I wasn't quite ready to leave home," Dru Powell said. Once he made his way up to the Capstone to start his sophomore year in college, Powell realized he was in unfamiliar territory. "It was the first time I had been just a student. I was not playing any sports for the first time in my life and man, I missed it," Powell said. So Powell, longing for his playing days at Leroy, headed over to Coleman Coliseum to watch the Tide practice basketball trying to get closer to the action. When he arrived, he pulled up a chair and began watching former women's coach Rick Moody lead his team through practice. "I just walked in and pulled up a chair. Next thing I know coach Mark Gottfried came in and walked right by me to talk to coach Moody," he said. What happened next to Powell sounds like something straight from a Hollywood movie script. "I decided this is my shot. This is my chance to make a move." So the determined Powell approached Gottfried with a plea to do whatever he could to help the basketball program. "I went to coach Gottfried and introduced myself. I told him that I knew he was probably busy but I let him know that I wanted to help the basketball program anyway I could," Powell said. The rest, you can say, is history. Gottfried sent him to talk to director of basketball relations Darron Boatwright about a position as team manager. "He told me to go talk to Boatwright. I went over there the next day. Generally, to become a manager you have a tryout during camp. I worked the first week, then the second week and I have been here ever since." Powell got his chance as the team's manager and maintained that position the last three seasons. He graduated from Alabama in December 2006 with a degree in secondary education mathematics. He interviewed for a job with Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa as an assistant basketball coach and was on the verge of signing the contract before fate chimed in again. "I had taken the job at Bryant and all I had to do was sign the papers. Our graduate assistant at Bama told us he was not returning after the season and I thought I should at least ask about the job. I talked to coach (Gottfried) about it and he called me back on a Saturday night. He said, 'You want to be our GA next year?' So just like that I took about a $30,000 pay cut," Powell jokingly said. As the GA for the Tide, the school pays full tuition at the university but no further pay. Powell will graduate with a master's in sports management in May. He said he always had a strong desire to win and credits that directly to his dad, coach Danny Powell. "This is all I have known all my life. He always wins. I have a drive, a desire to win. He is a great coach and I hope to follow in his footsteps and be half as successful as he is," Powell said. While Powell talked about his love for Leroy High School and the area, he said he hopes to land a job as a college assistant somewhere down the road. "I would like to become a college assistant in the next few years. The bigger the school the better, obviously. I learn so much as a GA. I learn more in one week than I did in three years as the team's manager. Being a part of the coaches' meetings and just seeing how the coaches think has been really beneficial. I have been spoiled with the opportunities I have had. There are a lot of high school coaches out there, including my dad, that don't get to experience this." Powell plans on getting married in May to former Jackson Academy graduate Jenilee Slayton. Slayton graduated from Alabama Saturday, Dec. 15.
"I will only be a GA for one year here because of how fast I have finished up school. It is kind of hard not knowing where you are going to be a year from now. I have to network twice as much. Alot of former GAs leave here and get assistant jobs in college. Until then, Jenilee just graduated so maybe she can support us until I find a job," Powell joked.
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