Underrated 3A Point Guard You Need to Know | Aric Powell Watchlist Interview

Aric Powell is the type of guard coaches can’t afford to miss.

In this One-Eyed Scout Watchlist episode, we sit down with a 5’11” point guard from Cole High School (TX, 3A) who represents what real development looks like — not hype, not mixtapes, but work, discipline, and consistency.

Coming out of a smaller classification in Texas, Aric Powell has built his game through The Doghouse training environment, where daily habits matter more than exposure. This interview breaks down how he approaches the game, how he controls tempo, and what separates him from other guards at his position.

This is a full conversation on:

Point guard mindset and leadership

How to stand out from a small school (3A basketball)
Defensive competitiveness and toughness
Game control, decision-making, and tempo
What college coaches actually look for in guards
How real development happens behind the scenes
If you’re serious about basketball recruiting, this is the part most players overlook — what shows up on film consistently.

At One-Eyed Scout, we evaluate players through habits, not highlights.
Because good enough isn’t recruitable — translatable is.

📈 WHO THIS IS FOR:

Players trying to get recruited from smaller schools

Parents navigating the recruiting process

Coaches looking for tough, disciplined guards

Anyone serious about real player development

🎯 RECRUITING TRUTH:
Exposure doesn’t create opportunities — prepared players do.
This episode gives you a real look at what that preparation sounds like.

📘 If you’re trying to understand the recruiting process without guessing:
Don’t guess the process — grab The Parent Recruiting Roadmap: https://a.co/d/0chCXmyQ

📺 Subscribe for more Watchlist interviews, recruiting breakdowns, and real evaluations:
More players. More truth. No hype.

#BasketballRecruiting #PointGuardPlay #TexasBasketball #3ABasketball #UnderratedPlayers #PlayerDevelopment #OneEyedScout #RecruitingTruth #DoghouseTraining #HighSchoolBasketball

https://youtu.be/SjLU5pWokes

 Shoutout to The Brunch Spot in Converse — great food, great people, and always showing love to the game. This is The One-Eyed Scout Show, and remember — it ain’t for everybody. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Hey, if you know this platform, you know that we stand for toughness, consistency, and real work behind the scenes. Today we have Eric Powell sitting down with 511 point guard out of Cole High School. That's a 3A program here in Texas, but Eric is a doghouse product. And if you know anything about that gym, you know it's built on work, not hype. Smaller classification, smaller spotlight, but that doesn't mean a smaller impact. Eric, I appreciate you for joining us today, man.

unknown 1:03

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

For people who haven't seen you yet, how would you describe your game in your own words?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

I would describe my game as I like to get downhill a lot. Like I'm like an aggressive guard. But my I play defense. Yeah, I like I like to get downhill and play defense, but I can also facilitate too.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

What do you think that um a point guard really needs to do beyond just bringing the ball up?

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Uh they need to be able to lead, they need to be able to speak up, they gotta like put people in spots, make sure their teammates know what they're doing. They gotta be a coach on the floor, they gotta be an extension of the coach.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

You know, you know, we're sitting there talking about growing up in a in a smaller classification. Does that give you an edge or how's that shaped your mindset?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Well, it's made me really show that I can play because everybody says like 3A, smaller schools, the competition is not as good. So I really just gotta come out and show that I can I can play with 6A's, five A's. Just because we're at 3A doesn't mean that we're bad. So I just come out and show that I can I can play with them.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

You know, what's one thing about you as a player that people don't see until they watch a full game film?

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Um I'd say that I can actually pass really well. Like uh I had the most assists in our district, but like I can pass really well.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

That's good, man. That's a very important stat, especially when you start stacking, you know, assist to turnover ratio. And uh that's very important. But let's talk about that gym, man. The doghouse or JC. You know, what kind of environment is that really for people that don't understand?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Man, it's tough. And um, if you don't like to work, it's not for you. You you're gonna your shirt's gonna be drenched in sweat, you're gonna be tired, but he's not gonna let you quit. And if you're not ready to push yourself or if you're not mentally strong, then it's not for you.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

You know, what's something in your game that improved strictly because of repetition in that gym?

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Definitely my defense with the people that are in the doghouse, having to guard them definitely makes your defense better and it makes you more aggressive.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

You know, uh, how do you feel or how do you handle days when you don't feel like working?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Um, when I don't feel like working, it's really a mental thing because uh I hate when people are better than me. So like I just think like every day I'm not in the gym, it's every day that somebody has a chance to be better than me. So it's just a mental thing. Like, gotta stay in the gym, stay consistent.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

So let's let's talk about Eric for a second. How does Eric measure if you actually got better or if you just got tired?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Uh I measure if by if I gave it my all in what I'm doing, and if I walked out learning something that I didn't know before, or adding something new to my game that I previously didn't have.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

You know, and that's something that we talk a lot about on the on this platform, you know, discipline over motivation, because motivation fades, but habits don't. You know, and and it's interesting because, you know, what what do you feel like the road has taught you? And for those that don't know, we we normally do a two-mile run uh before the workouts start taking people's legs away from.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Yeah, the road, the road's no joke, but the road's all mental, especially when it's hot outside, and you just gotta push because roads hard. It's yeah, but road, the road, it's all a mental thing. Just don't give up. You just gotta keep pushing.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

What do you what do you take pride in most when you step on a court?

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Um, definitely my defense. I I hate when um my man scores on me. That's just something I take personally. Whoever I'm guarding, my goal is zero points the whole game. If whenever they score him, it I don't like him. I get scored on.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

You know, uh one thing that has really improved it just in watching you play um is your ability to get to the open spot and make the shot that you need to make. You know, the one that reverses uh across the floor. Um, how do you feel like that happened and how that separates you from other people?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Uh that happened with just consistently coming to the doghouse, working with JC, and him just helping me, like uh helping me work on my shot first, and then helping me be able to create space off my shot, and that really helps separate me from other people because um if I'm able to get my shot off, then they gotta play on me, which is gives me the opportunity to find my teammates if they gotta help over. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Alright, so I know that you're you're very strong on defense, and and that's something that JC pounds, but the other thing he talks about a lot is is pace, right? And so how do you control tempo as a 5'11 guard?

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Uh I like to say I'm pretty fast, so if I have a slower guy on me, I typically love by them. But uh, I can like I play the pace pretty well. I can slow the game, like everything's a mess, I can slow it down, reset it, put people in spots. But like if there's moments we need to go fast, I can push the ball. Um, I yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

So let's talk about this. What what's your approach in a late game situation?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Late game situation. Um I want to look at the clock, see how much time's on the clock, look at the score. If we're up, then I'm not trying to not trying to force a shot, trying to get the best shot possible. If it's a wide open three or an open layup, then we'll take that. But if we're down, then I'm trying to get it quick, get a bucket. I don't want to force any bad shots, but we'll take whatever open shot we can get.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

You know, where does your competitive competitive edge come from?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Oh, that's just me not wanting to lose. Because growing up with my brothers, especially my older brother, he used to beat me all the time, and I just hated losing. So I don't like losing, so that makes me very competitive.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

What does like toughness look like for you on the court?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Um, being tough is being able to play through fouls because rests they're gonna miss fouls, they're not gonna call everything, and being like also being mentally tough, being able to keep pushing when you're tired, being able to finish through contact and take care of the ball when people are reaching, holding, just being able to play through all that.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

All right, so for you, what's the difference between players who make it and players who don't, in your eyes?

SPEAKER_00 8:33

People who make it are people that are consistent, consistent with their workouts, their trainings, like they don't swack off. They know what needs to be done, even if they don't want to do it. It's that discipline that they're very disciplined. People that don't make it typically not as disciplined, whether it's in the classroom, because what you do outside the sport also affects how like you play in the sport. So if they're undisciplined outside the class outside or in the class, then they'll be undisciplined on the court.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

You know, just because I know you and I know your family, uh, I want to ask this next question because I know that um how do you hold yourself accountable day to day? And let me finish that with, you know, because I I know your dad, and you've gotten to the point now where it's on you, you know, and he's putting you in the spot to be successful, but how do you hold yourself accountable?

SPEAKER_00 9:30

I hold myself accountable well before my parents used to make me work out and everything, then they talk to me and I realized this is something I want for myself. I want to play at the next level, and this is not something that they can force me to want. So knowing this is something I want, I have to force myself to drink water, eat right, work out no way on to. I stay on top of my grades because that's very important. And I do everything that I need to do to help me get to that next level. Even days that I don't want to go to the doghouse because I'm tired, I still gotta go.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

You know, and that's the separator right there: attention to detail and consistency. That's what a lot of players underestimate and you and use their parents' motivation to make them motivated. And I love the way that it's presented within your house. It's on you because you're the one that's gonna do it. And uh, now I just I applaud you for realizing it, applaud your parents for putting that position. But uh, let's talk about the future. What do you want coaches to know about you that doesn't show up on stats?

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Um definitely defense because like just stop like steals. I can get, I mean, anybody can get steals, but being able to shut down somebody's best player that doesn't show up on the stats seat, so that's something they they have to see. But yeah, definitely defensive. Being able to shut somebody down, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

And see what's cool is I know that those reps in the doghouse are all about shutting people down, and that full court one-on-one is no joke in there, but how will you take that toughness and put it like what kind of role do you see yourself playing at the next level?

SPEAKER_00 11:28

Um, I can see myself being like uh like a guard that guards the best player every game, uh, as long as they're not too tall, because I'm an undersized guard, so guarding their best ball handler or their best scorer, and being able to take care of the ball, and obviously somebody I can score too. So being able to score when I can, but also just being somebody that can just lock down, lock down their guards and make it tough for them to run their offense.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

You know what, man? You're in a you said something that I don't want to reframe. You you you're 5'11, six foot, right? And you've had you're in a gym that's known for producing a Marcus Keane that led the country in scoring, that Jalen Red Criptenden that can shut down half half a floor, 94 feet, Cy Jones, and now you Eric Powell. So I don't ever want you to you put yourself, your parents put yourself in that spot to excel. So now what's a long-term vision for yourself on and off the court?

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Uh long-term vision, uh, like after college. Well, that however you perceive that question, man. So I want to say after college and everything. Uh, I still want to play basketball. I want to potentially go overseas and play if I can, and anything. Like, I don't want to become like a trainer. If I could train at the doghouse, then that'd be great. Trainer or like a coach.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

So it seems like giving back to basketball seems to be uh a high priority. All right, folks, this is power Cole High School here in San Antonio, Texas, a 3-8 guard with the workers' mentality, and that is what the watch list is all about. Players who might not have the loudest platform, but they've got real substance to the game. And you know what? You keep following, you keep listening, hit like, subscribe, and we'll keep finding these guys. That is it for the one eyed scout, and it ain't for everybody.