Ryan Powell will begin his high school basketball coaching career at Thorsby High School this fall.

Powell, who has coached at several different schools on the college level, comes to Thorsby from the University of Montevallo, where he worked last year as an assistant coach.

“Being a college coach involves so much traveling, I just wanted to settle down in an area and get my feet wet,” Powell said Friday.

Powell is a native of Grove Hill and graduated from Clarke County High School in 2001. He went on to play college ball at Southern Miss for two years, then at Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette for one year, and finally at Auburn University Montgomery, where he graduated in 2006. His has degrees in science and education and a master’s in human environmental sciences.

Before Montevallo, Powell coached as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama. The year prior, he was a graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana Monroe. The year before that, he assisted at Jones County Community College in Mississippi.

Powell said he thinks high school coaches need to have a more diverse philosophy than college coaches.

“I think I know enough about the game to be successful at the high school level,” he said. “Instead of recruiting … you’re dealt with a hand and you have to just use what you’ve got to the best of your ability.”

He did say he would like to promote an up-tempo kind of play at Thorsby, but that depends on what kind of athletes are there.

“I’m going to have to adjust more than the players are going to have to adjust,” he said.

Powell spoke positively about getting to meet a couple of students and said he is looking forward to meeting the rest. The Rebels’ first game will be Friday, Nov. 19 against Fayetteville.

“I’m looking forward to working with them, having an impact on their lives and helping them to be successful,” he said.

He thanked Thorsby Principal Russ Bryan for giving him the opportunity.

Powell currently resides in Pelham with his wife, Candace, and 3-week-old son, Grayson.