With a group that are led by upper class-men, The Desoto Eagles possess a roster that has a chance to make a state title run. Freshman Duncan Powell is the only player in the 2021 class that Head Coach Chris Dyer has put on varsity and when the call was made for Duncan to play on Saturday, Powell made the most of his opportunity.
Desoto had a tall task ahead of them with 5A defending champions Mansfield Timberview matched up against them at the Cow-Town Tipoff but they left North Crowley High School with a 65-60 win. With 2018 Feron Hunt receiving a first half technical foul, Powell stepped up as him and 2018 SMU commit Jahmar Young manned the paint on both ends a playing well off each other.
When the fourth quarter began,Young fouled out leaving Duncan Powell, the freshman to be the man in the middle and provide an interior presence. The two blocks, five rebounds and four points in the fourth quarter, Powell played his role and was one of the main reasons his Eagles squad starts out the season 1-0.
Texasboysbasketball.com has kept track of Duncan throughout the grassroots season with Basketball Means More as we have seen him compete and thrive in games on the 17u level which has the chance to translate well in varsity basketball. The staff has seen growth in Duncan as player.
Duncan has a good body and strength that allows himself to hold his own against varsity level competition. He showcases the ability to put the ball on the floor and score from 12 ft out but his focus on the defensive side of the ball, moving laterally and altering shots that came inside was a big lift for Desoto. The season is in its adolescent stages but with the highs, there will be lows in the process and the staff will see how the young forward responds. There are still blemishes in Duncan’s game that he will need to improve on in order to becoming the prospect we believe he can be but with a solid mix of toughness, skill and athleticism blended together to go with his height, he showed the staff why we believe he is a top 5 player in his class.