In his first year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he was the only true freshman to play significant minutes in 2011–12, when he averaged 17.8 minutes and contributed 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 33 games, joining Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones as the only Bruins to play in every game that season.
While he excelled as a driving guard in high school, his role transformed at UCLA, taking less than one-fourth of his shots around the rim and close to half from outside on three-point attempts, connecting on 38.5% over the last 18 games.

Powell averaged 6.1 points in 22.1 minutes in 2012–13, making nine starts while playing all 35 games.
He began the season as a starter, but was later moved to the bench.
His minutes declined from an average of 28.4 in the first seven games to 19 the following 26 games.
After replacing injured starter Jordan Adams, Powell's minutes increased to 37 per game.
He considered transferring to San Diego State after the season, but decided to stay primarily because UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired.
Powell credited Howland for his development on defense, but he stated that "there were a lot of things going on that weren’t fair for me" and "I definitely wanted to see a change."
The Bruins hired Steve Alford as their new coach.

In 2013–14, Powell started all 37 games and was third on the team in scoring (11.4).
Under Alford, he became an offensive threat and a staunch defender.
He was more aggressive taking the ball to the basket, and dunked more than he could in Howland's system.
The team's best on-ball defender, Powell was routinely assigned the opponent's best offensive player and earned honorable mention for the Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team.
UCLA opened the 2014 NCAA Tournament in San Diego, enabling him to play in his hometown for the first time since high school.
UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16, and Powell averaged 13.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in three tournament contests.
After the season, he considered playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and requested an evaluation of his prospects for the upcoming 2014 NBA draft.

Informed that he was unlikely to be drafted, Powell decided to return for his senior year, and became UCLA's top returning player and scorer for 2014–15 after underclassmen Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine each declared for the NBA draft, while seniors Travis and David Wear graduated.
During the offseason, Powell worked to improve his jump shot.
As the season progressed, he grew to be a leader of the team, and increasingly took on more of the offensive load.
Although freshman teammate Kevon Looney was seen as a potential NBA lottery pick, Powell became the Bruins' most consistent performer.
On March 1, 2015, Powell scored a career-high 28 points in a 72–67 win over Washington State.
He averaged 26 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games that week, and was honored with his conference-high third Pac-12 Player of the Week for the season.
The Bruins went 2–0, helping them secure an eventual No.4 seed and first-round bye in the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament, and maintaining their hopes of receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
At season's end, Powell was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and again received honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team.
He was also named first-team all-district by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and second-team all-district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
He finished as the team leader in scoring with 16.4 points per game, the sixth highest in the conference.
In his first year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he was the only true freshman to play significant minutes in 2011–12, when he averaged 17.8 minutes and contributed 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 33 games, joining Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones as the only Bruins to play in every game that season. While he excelled as a driving guard in high school, his role transformed at UCLA, taking less than one-fourth of his shots around the rim and close to half from outside on three-point attempts, connecting on 38.5% over the last 18 games.
Powell averaged 6.1 points in 22.1 minutes in 2012–13, making nine starts while playing all 35 games. He began the season as a starter, but was later moved to the bench. His minutes declined from an average of 28.4 in the first seven games to 19 the following 26 games. After replacing injured starter Jordan Adams, Powell's minutes increased to 37 per game. He considered transferring to San Diego State after the season, but decided to stay primarily because UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired. Powell credited Howland for his development on defense, but he stated that "there were a lot of things going on that weren’t fair for me" and "I definitely wanted to see a change." The Bruins hired Steve Alford as their new coach.
In 2013–14, Powell started all 37 games and was third on the team in scoring (11.4). Under Alford, he became an offensive threat and a staunch defender. He was more aggressive taking the ball to the basket, and dunked more than he could in Howland's system. The team's best on-ball defender, Powell was routinely assigned the opponent's best offensive player and earned honorable mention for the Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team. UCLA opened the 2014 NCAA Tournament in San Diego, enabling him to play in his hometown for the first time since high school. UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16, and Powell averaged 13.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in three tournament contests. After the season, he considered playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and requested an evaluation of his prospects for the upcoming 2014 NBA draft.
Informed that he was unlikely to be drafted, Powell decided to return for his senior year, and became UCLA's top returning player and scorer for 2014–15 after underclassmen Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine each declared for the NBA draft, while seniors Travis and David Wear graduated. During the offseason, Powell worked to improve his jump shot. As the season progressed, he grew to be a leader of the team, and increasingly took on more of the offensive load. Although freshman teammate Kevon Looney was seen as a potential NBA lottery pick, Powell became the Bruins' most consistent performer. On March 1, 2015, Powell scored a career-high 28 points in a 72–67 win over Washington State. He averaged 26 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games that week, and was honored with his conference-high third Pac-12 Player of the Week for the season. The Bruins went 2–0, helping them secure an eventual No.4 seed and first-round bye in the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament, and maintaining their hopes of receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament. At season's end, Powell was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and again received honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team. He was also named first-team all-district by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and second-team all-district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He finished as the team leader in scoring with 16.4 points per game, the sixth highest in the conference.
Norman Powell