The crowd in East High’s gym rivaled the size of a regular season basketball game as hundreds filed in on a Saturday afternoon. But the action wasn’t on the court, rather it was about the court.
To be precise, the stands were full of people paying their respects to Sam Powell, the longtime coach of the Scarlets girls’ basketball team whose name was about to be unveiled on the hardwood.
Powell coached girls basketball at East High for 15 years, from 2004-2019, leading the EHS Scarlets to five State tournament appearances including a championship in 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2010. He was the first African American coach to lead a team to a state basketball championship. On top of that Powell led the Scarlets to 13 Metro conference titles, including three undefeated seasons. Powell had an overall record of 253-88 and was a seven-time CIML Metro Conference Coach of the Year winner.
But before the unveiling it was time to celebrate the man being honored.
There was music, from the East High band playing the Star-Spangled Banner and school fight song to former player Peewee Porter singing the Black National Anthem, along with a spoken word poem from DMPS’s own Louis Fountain.
And several speakers shared accolades and experiences of their time with Coach Powell. Former East principal Tom Lee talked about the decision to hire Powell to put the program back on the path to success. State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad challenged Powell to a little one-on-one, although both men decided to quit while they were ahead. School Board member Dwana Bradley spoke about the support shown for Powell which led to a unanimous vote back in November to rename the space in his honor. Powell himself spoke last about the things early in his life, including the support of a persistent friend, which put him on the road from growing up in Chicago to coaching in Des Moines.
The most meaningful tributes came from Powell’s former players, many of whom were present on Saturday, who spoke of the impact his coaching had on their lives far beyond the basketball court. As the resumes of those former players were read, each had gone on to greater success on the court and in the classroom and, today, in their careers and lives.
As Powell’s daughter, Samisha, said when the idea of naming the court after her father was first proposed: “While it is noteworthy to mention all the success my father and his players had on the court, I sincerely believe the best part of their Cinderella story comes from their accomplishments off the court. The basketball program that Sam Powell cultivated at East High School was a culture of excellence, leadership, scholastic achievement, and opportunity.”
When the speeches came to a close it was time for family and players to gather round and remove the tarp on two sides of the court. There, forever ingrained on the grains of the hardwood, were the words “Sam L. Powell Court.”
