Photo by: Andrew Shortall
Powell Looks To Rally with Habo Volley
10/14/2016 10:02:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Like many college athletes, Roy Powell wanted to play professionally and until he came to California Baptist University, it was just a dream. His coaches helped make it a reality.
"I wanted to play professionally ever since high school when I realized there was a professional field," Powell said. "I just wasn't necessarily sure how to get in the field."
Powell signed a contract to play for Habo Volley of Sweden over the summer, and credited the Lancer coaches for helping show him a path. In addition to Powell, CBU graduates Levi Cabral and Kristopher Johnson will be playing professionally in 2016. Cabral is in his fourth professional season, now with Tours Volleyball of France, and Johnson enters his third pro campaign after signing a new deal with Terceira in Portugal this summer.
"Me being at CBU shows God had a plan," Powell said. "His plan was for me to be at CBU and send me on to my professional career."
Particularly, CBU assistant Coach Andy Hein helped show him how it was possible after Powell's collegiate playing days were over. Hein, himself, played for several different professional teams overseas from 2007-15, with stops in Romania (Tomis Constanta), Puerto Rico (Los Changos de Naranjito), Greece (GC Lamia), Russia (Yaroslavi Yaroslavich), Switzerland (VC Lausanne), Italy (Fidi Padova), France (Spacers Toulouse) and Austria (Hype Tirol).
Hein's experience was essential for Powell taking his next step. He drew upon it after he helped the Lancers produce one of their best seasons against NCAA Division I competition in 2016. CBU went 14-16, 4-16 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in Powell's senior season.
It was the Lancers' best year in the MPSF since 2013 when they went 16-14, 12-12. Last year, the team was undefeated (8-0) against non-conference foes and 11-1 against unranked competition.
"We all had the same mission of going out and creating something at CBU," Powell said. "My mentality was overcoming adversity, the season wasn't the best but we overcame some of the top teams in the nation and were able to beat them."
When the year ended, Powell got in touch with some professional agents and let them know he wanted to continue playing in the pros. One of the agents put him in contact with a coach transitioning from an Italian team to Habo Volley in Sweden.
"He called me on Skype, he offered me the contract and the rest is history," Powell said. "It honestly hasn't set in yet, I haven't had someone come up and ask what I do for work. I haven't had to answer that, but it's pretty surreal. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to become a professional volleyball player."
After finishing on the lower portion of its league back in 2015, Habo Volley will look to move up this year. Powell will look to bring his instant-offense play to help his new team achieve its goals in 2016.
"I want to do big things, I want to go out there and make a name for myself," Powell said. "I want to go out and really show people Americans do have a career outside of college. I want to be able to broaden out after my first pro year and continue playing."
"I wanted to play professionally ever since high school when I realized there was a professional field," Powell said. "I just wasn't necessarily sure how to get in the field."
Powell signed a contract to play for Habo Volley of Sweden over the summer, and credited the Lancer coaches for helping show him a path. In addition to Powell, CBU graduates Levi Cabral and Kristopher Johnson will be playing professionally in 2016. Cabral is in his fourth professional season, now with Tours Volleyball of France, and Johnson enters his third pro campaign after signing a new deal with Terceira in Portugal this summer.
"Me being at CBU shows God had a plan," Powell said. "His plan was for me to be at CBU and send me on to my professional career."
Particularly, CBU assistant Coach Andy Hein helped show him how it was possible after Powell's collegiate playing days were over. Hein, himself, played for several different professional teams overseas from 2007-15, with stops in Romania (Tomis Constanta), Puerto Rico (Los Changos de Naranjito), Greece (GC Lamia), Russia (Yaroslavi Yaroslavich), Switzerland (VC Lausanne), Italy (Fidi Padova), France (Spacers Toulouse) and Austria (Hype Tirol).
Hein's experience was essential for Powell taking his next step. He drew upon it after he helped the Lancers produce one of their best seasons against NCAA Division I competition in 2016. CBU went 14-16, 4-16 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in Powell's senior season.
It was the Lancers' best year in the MPSF since 2013 when they went 16-14, 12-12. Last year, the team was undefeated (8-0) against non-conference foes and 11-1 against unranked competition.
"We all had the same mission of going out and creating something at CBU," Powell said. "My mentality was overcoming adversity, the season wasn't the best but we overcame some of the top teams in the nation and were able to beat them."
When the year ended, Powell got in touch with some professional agents and let them know he wanted to continue playing in the pros. One of the agents put him in contact with a coach transitioning from an Italian team to Habo Volley in Sweden.
"He called me on Skype, he offered me the contract and the rest is history," Powell said. "It honestly hasn't set in yet, I haven't had someone come up and ask what I do for work. I haven't had to answer that, but it's pretty surreal. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to become a professional volleyball player."
After finishing on the lower portion of its league back in 2015, Habo Volley will look to move up this year. Powell will look to bring his instant-offense play to help his new team achieve its goals in 2016.
"I want to do big things, I want to go out there and make a name for myself," Powell said. "I want to go out and really show people Americans do have a career outside of college. I want to be able to broaden out after my first pro year and continue playing."
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