Bio

Derrick Powell, Jr. is set to begin his fourth season as head coach of the Calhoun men’s basketball program, having been named the third head coach in Warhawk history in 2022. Since taking over, Powell has focused on building a disciplined, high-character program centered around player development, academic success, and competitive excellence.

Before arriving at Calhoun, Powell served as an assistant coach at Tuskegee University, following a season as head coach of the Montgomery Knights in The Basketball League (TBL) in 2020. Prior to that, he led the Wetumpka High School program from 2017 to 2019 and was head coach at Calhoun High School during the 2016–2017 season. He was twice recognized by the Central Alabama Basketball Officials Association with the Coaching Sportsmanship Award (2016, 2018) and was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award in January 2022.

Powell also held several assistant coaching roles earlier in his career, including stops at Faulkner University (2007–2009), Prattville High School (2009–2010), Jefferson Davis High School (2010–2016), and BTW Tuskegee (2019–2020), where he served as lead assistant. Throughout his journey, he’s mentored numerous standout athletes, including NBA guard J.D. Davison, Cortney Fortson, Dionte’ Ferguson, Clifford Thomas, and Gregg Boyd.

A native of Lowndes County, Alabama, Powell is also a proud United States Navy veteran. During his service, he played his final years of organized basketball while stationed as a sailor. Driven to give back to his community, he founded Coach P’s iCAMP, built around the motto “little i’s equal big team wins”, and the BIG (Boys Into Gentlemen) Mentoring Program, which have positively impacted hundreds of young men since 2014.

Powell is a graduate of Jefferson Davis High School, where he was team captain and known for his relentless rebounding and defense. As a senior, he recorded a career-high 21-rebound game and earned back-to-back Most Rebounds and leadership awards.

He began his collegiate playing career at Marion Military Institute, where he averaged 14.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, earning ACCC North All-Conference honors and setting the school’s single-season rebounding record with 331 boards. He transferred to Faulkner University on scholarship, where he completed his playing career and earned a B.S. in Physical Education. He later earned a Master’s in Teaching with an emphasis in Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

Coach Powell is married to his wife, Shante. They have two children: a daughter, Kinsley, and a son, Derrick "Kash" Powell III.

Updated 07/2025