Former Gamecock Carlos Powell signs with new team in Korea

Carlos Powell has found a new home in the Korean Basketball League.

The former South Carolina standout signed with KCC Egis after a four-year run with the Incheon ET Land Elephants in KBL. Powell averaged 18.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season for the Elephants.

Powell also was the team’s captain for the second year in a row, the first American to accomplish that feat.

“It was tough for me to leave them because we but such a great relationship,” Powell said. “We really became a family over the years. My new team KCC Egis is gonna be a really good one. We have a 7-3 center Big Ha and Tony Atkins as a point guard along with Andre Emmett as a wing player. So we have a lot.”

The forward has been a fixture overseas after a standout career at USC, where he was the MVP of the Gamecocks’ 2005 NIT championship team. Powell’s stops overseas have included Germany, China New Zealand, Israel, Portugal and Iran.

Powell, a Florence native, also was an all-star in the NBA’s Developmental League during his 11-year professional career and played in various NBA summer leagues with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Golden State warriors during his career.

In January, Powell was inducted into the Florence Hall of Fame along with his cousin and former Gamecock Sam Muldrow, who also is playing overseas.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 6:53 PM.