By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — He doesn’t mean to do it. He snaps. One bad possession, one missed defensive rotation and suddenly, Jonathan Powell is tearing at his practice jersey, fabric ripping down the middle, and emotion flowing.

It’s not a tantrum. It’s combustion.

“I have a flip [of a switch] every time I get on the court,” said Powell, who, like every player, wore practice jerseys for Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage. There was no ripping of his jersey, though. “Like a little switch I can flip on and off.”

That switch defines Powell, the 6–6, 190-pound sophomore transfer from West Virginia now wearing Carolina blue. He plays with anger. It’s not reckless anger, but the kind that simmers until it boils over.

Powell’s time at West Virginia included big moments and the same volatile energy. He started the final 23 games for the Mountaineers, guiding them to 19 wins while averaging 8.3 points per game, scoring 64 3-pointers and maintaining the lowest turnover percentage in the Big 12 over 963 minutes.

He scored 11 points and a pair of 3-pointers to help lead the White team to a 55–50 victory in Saturday’s 24-minute public scrimmage at the Smith Center.

But his story isn’t just about numbers. It was about the moments between them. Frustration sometimes gets the best of him, and he says he’s ripped his practice jersey once since he arrived in Chapel Hill.

“Always looking to compete, and to win, then with the jersey thing, I did it once here, but I try not to do it anymore,” said Powell, whose scoring high last season was 17 points, which came against N.C. Central and Oklahoma State. “Just when I get upset or not having my practice, sometimes just [rip the jersey] down the middle.”

That rawness is both his weapon and his challenge. When the switch flips, he’s relentless. Powell is diving for loose balls, fighting for rebounds, playing like every possession matters.

“I’m always looking to compete [and] to win,” he said.

He scored five 3-pointers twice last season (shooting 35.2% for the season), scored in double figures 15 times, and played 30 or more minutes in 16 games. But when his play isn’t up to his standard, his response isn’t to shrug.

That intensity has a new home and a coach in Hubert Davis, who saw it as something to shape rather than suppress.

“The main thing for me was looking for a coach who believed in me,” Powell said. “Instantly, it clicked with Hubert and seeing what he liked in my game and what I could do for his team.”

Davis offered Powell something essential but straightforward: trust. At Carolina, Powell would not be just a shooter stationed in the corner.

“I believe I have way more freedom,” Powell said, “being able to create for myself or have the opportunity. Just being aggressive and not just settling for shots beyond arc, and knowing that I have the size and the strength to be able to go inside and create, not just settling for shots beyond arc.”

His numbers last season show how little he drove to the rim. He averaged 30.1 minutes over 32 games but only attempted 25 free throws. Considering he shot 37.8% from the floor, he surprisingly shot only 48% from the free-throw line.

But the switch, the heat is still there. Managing it is part of the daily work.

“Really just understanding the work I put in every day,” he says. “So, it’s no reason to get upset about missed shots or certain stuff. That’s out of my control.”

In practice, the fire fits right in.

“When stuff gets competitive … everyone’s gonna be vocal and talk,” he says. “Everyone wants to win. Everyone is talking during practice, and that’s the thing I love about this team.

He noticed early that this group jelled faster than he expected — he estimated it took 10 to 14 days — and he credited the summer pick-up games.

“A lot of them got chippy, because everyone’s competitive,” he says.

Check out plenty of a photo gallery from the scrimmage.

The same edge that has led to torn practice jerseys now fuels his focus. He’s learning to hold the flame steady, to make it burn for him instead of against him.

He talks about expanding his game beyond the arc, attacking the rim, creating off the dribble and rebounding with intent.

“I think I can be a great [offensive rebounder],” he says. “If I put the same energy I want to have shooting the ball toward going to crash the boards, I can be one.”

He’s also determined to show his defense, which he says is part of his game that’s “slept on” and not acknowledged.

“I saw it every day in practice that I can guard — whatever position you need me to guard,” Powell said, adding that he can guard one through four.

Powell said he was raised to be confident.

“My mom told me, ‘Don’t worry about what no one thinks about you. Just be you,’ ” he said. “I’ve always carried that wherever I went, if it’s off the court, on the court. Just being me and playing confident. That’s what makes me the player who I am.”

Now, that practice jersey has NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS across his chest, and he’s still playing with that same edge.

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No.	Class	Player	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt
8	Freshman	Caleb Wilson (5 star)	4	6–10	215
5	Freshman	Isaiah Denis (4 star)	CG	6–4	180
3	Freshman	Derek Dixon (4 star)	CG	6–5	200
40	Sophomore	Ivan Matlekovic	5	7–0	255
11	Sophomore	Jonathan Powell	G	6–6	190
2	Sophomore	James Brown	5	6–10	240
1	Sophomore	Zayden High	4	6–10	230
44	Junior	Luca Bogavac (BO-guh-VAHTS)	W	6–6	215
4	Junior	Jaydon Young	2	6–4	200
13	RS junior	Henri Veesaar (VEH-sar)	5	7–0	225
0	Junior	Kyan Evans	1	6–2	175
15	Junior	Jarin Stevenson	4	6–10	215
7	Senior	Seth Trimble	2	6–3	200
		Walk-ons
25	Sophomore	John Holbrook	4	6–8	230
32	Junior	Evan Smith	2	6–1	195
6	RS senior	Elijah Davis	2	6–3	205

Former UNC players who transferred

Player	Class next season	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt	Next school
Elliot Cadeau	Junior	PG	6–1	180	Michigan
Jalen Washington	Senior	C	6–10	235	Vanderbilt
Ian Jackson	Sophomore	G	6–4	190	St. John’s
Cade Tyson	Senior	F	6–7	200	Minnesota
Ven-Allen Lubin	Senior	C	6–8	230	N.C. State

Date	Month/day	Time	Opponent/event (current ranks)	TV/ record
	October
24	Friday	L, 78–76	vs. No. 9 BYU in SLC	Exhib.
29	Wednesday	W, 95–53	vs. Winston-Salem St.	Exhib.
	November
3	Monday	W, 94–54	vs. Central Arkansas	1–0
7	Friday	W, 87–74	vs. No. 22 Kansas	2–0
11	Tuesday	W, 89–74	vs. Radford	3–0
14	Friday	W, 97–53	vs. N.C. Central	4–0
18	Tuesday	W, 73–61	vs. Navy	5–0
			Fort Myers Tip-Off
25	Tuesday	W, 85–70	vs. St. Bonaventure	6–0
27	Thursday	L, 74–58	vs. No. 12 Michigan State	6–1
	December		ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge
2	Tuesday	W, 67–64	at Kentucky	7–1
			—————————
7	Sunday	W, 81–61	vs. Georgetown	8–1
13	Saturday	W, 80–62	vs. USC Upstate	9–1
16	Tuesday	W, 77–58	vs. ETSU	10–1
			CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta
20	Saturday	W, 71–70	vs. Ohio State	11–1
			—————————
22	Monday	W, 99–51	vs. East Carolina	12–1
30	Tuesday	W, 79–66	vs. Florida State	13–1, 1–0 ACC
	January
3	Saturday	L, 97–83	at No. 24 SMU	13–2, 1–1
10	Saturday	6 p.m.	vs. Wake Forest	ACCN
14	Wednesday	9 p.m.	at Stanford	ACCN
17	Saturday	4 p.m.	at California	ACCN
21	Wednesday	7 p.m.	vs. Notre Dame	ESPN2
24	Saturday	2 p.m.	at No. 23 Virginia	ESPN
31	Saturday	2 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	ACCN
	February
2	Monday	7 p.m.	vs. Syracuse	ESPN
7	Saturday	6:30	vs. No. 6 Duke	ESPN
10	Tuesday	7 p.m.	at Miami	ESPN or ESPN2
14	Saturday	2 p.m.	vs. Pittsburgh	ESPN
17	Tuesday	7 p.m.	at N.C. State	ESPN or ESPN2
21	Saturday	1 p.m.	at Syracuse	ABC
23	Monday	7 p.m.	vs. No. 20 Louisville	ESPN
28	Saturday	6:30 or 8:30	vs. Virginia Tech	ESPN or ESPN2
	March
3	Tuesday	7 p.m.	vs. Clemson	ESPN or ESPN2
7	Saturday	6:30	at No. 6 Duke	ESPN
10–14	Tues.-Sat.	ACC tournament	Spectrum Center, Charlotte