Tag: Drake Powell

Drake Powell getting first career start against Alabama

UNC’s starting lineup will look a little different against Alabama.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will have a slight change to their starting lineup against Alabama tonight, as freshman Drake Powell will be starting in the place of Jae’Lyn Withers.

Powell has played phenomenal basketball through seven games in his freshman season, including a solid run through the Maui Invitational. He scored a career-high 18 points against Michigan State on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-6 mark from deep.

Powell has averages of 6.3 points, 3.7 points and 0.7 assists per game, but even when he’s not contributing on the stat sheet, Powell is finding ways to impact the game. He’s a phenomenal defender who hustles after every ball, can deliver some soul-snatching blocks (watch American highlights) and has the ability to make shots from anywhere, whether a highlight-reel dunk or a clutch 3-pointer.

UNC went just 1-2 in the Maui Invitational: coming back to beat Dayton in its opener, before getting blown out by Auburn and losing in overtime to Michigan State. North Carolina is still trying to discover its best lineups – and it got a glimpse of how special Powell can be in the MSU loss.

The Tar Heels brought Powell off the bench in their first six games, when they rolled with a starting lineup of Withers, RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington. Withers has played solid basketball in his first year as a starter, averaging 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but Powell has played better.

What a big moment for Powell, who gets his first start just 20 minutes up the road from where he played high school ball.

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Drake Powell’s offensive breakout Wednesday proved he is THE guy for UNC basketball

We knew about Drake Powell’s defense. On Wednesday night against Michigan State, we learned the offensive side of Powell’s game.

When seemingly nothing could go right for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday night, as they lost 94-91 to Michigan State in the Maui Invitational’s Third Place game, Drake Powell rose to the occasion.

Powell, UNC’s star freshman who played high school ball just 20 minutes south of the Dean Dome, set two career-highs in just his seventh collegiate game.

In the 33 minutes head coach Hubert Davis gave Powell off the bench, Powell scored 18 points – on 7-of-9 shooting and a 4-of-6 mark from the perimeter. Powell has the 3-pointer in his arsenal, but he’s been able to rely on his defense and ability to drive the line – until Wednesday.

Seemingly anytime Powell got the basketball in his hand, he was scoring or making the next pass to points. Powell only had one rebound, assist and block apiece, so Wednesday was a clear sign that 99 percent of Powell’s statistical contributions came offensively.

We witnessed flashes of Powell’s talent in North Carolina’s first six games, but Wednesday brought out the true, 5-star McDonalds All-American who Hubert recruited.

Powell wasn’t the only freshman with a big game against MSU, as fellow McDonalds All-American Ian Jackson added 14 points off the bench.

Coming into Wednesday, Powell had just 26 points in his first six games. What Powell didn’t generate in the scoring department those outings, he generated on the boards (25 rebounds, including career-best 11 against American).

It’s still super-early in the season, which means the Tar Heels have plenty of time, to discover the lineup combinations that work best for them.

There’s one thing I do know, though: I would be shocked if  Powell isn’t starting for UNC on Wednesday, Dec. 4 against Alabama.

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UNC basketball maintains Top 10 ranking in Andy Katz’ NEW Power 37 rankings

Andy Katz gave the Tar Heels a good spot in his latest Power 37 rankings.

We’re only three weeks into the 2024-2025 college basketball season, but we’re slowly starting to see several teams shape their identity.

I’ve already watched Kansas prove itself as a continued powerhouse, while Arizona might not be as good as we thought. Duke is one of the most talented teams on paper, but its achilles heel every year – experience – cost it a chance at beating Kentucky.

I can’t formulate too much of an opinion about our North Carolina Tar Heels, but I can tell you they’re exciting to watch. UNC is 2-1 through three games, looking its strongest against American and showing some initial concern against Elon.

Ahead of the stacked Maui Invitational, which begins on Monday, Nov. 25, North Carolina landed 10th in Andy Katz’ latest Power 37 rankings. These groupings are new to the 2024-2025 season, with Katz utilizing the Power 36 a season ago.

The Tar Heels found themselves trailing Iowa State (ninth), Alabama (eighth), Purdue (seventh), Duke (sixth), Kentucky (fifth), Auburn (fourth), UConn (third), Gonzaga (second) and Kansas (first).

https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1858548409323397473/photo/2

When Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram left UNC in the offseason, I’ll admit I had some initial concerns about the team’s depth – and veteran leadership.

Through three games, North Carolina has quickly showcased additional depth and new leaders – both from the transfer portal and amongst returners.

Elliot Cadeau has stepped up alongside reining ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, giving the Tar Heels one of the country’s most dangerous backcourt duos. Drake Powell might be the best defensive player on the roster, while Seth Trimble added an offensive arsenal to his bag.

Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington are thriving in their first year as starters. Belmont tranfser Cade Tyson is starting to look more comfortable, while Ven-Allen Lubin is that productive, long-overdue big man off the bench.

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Drake Powell’s defensive energy sets tone in UNC’s Friday night blowout victory

The Tar Heels are lucky to have a player of Drake Powell’s defensive talent. He showed out on Friday night.

Seemingly everything was clicking for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night, as they obliterated American University, 107-55, in front of a raucous Dean Dome crowd.

UNC (2-1) only led by nine at halftime, then outscored the visiting Eagles (1-3) 64-21 in the second half. North Carolina held American to just 14.7 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes, the lowest in a half by an opponent in the Hubert Davis era.

Throughout the whole game, but particularly in the second half, there was one player in particular who captained the Tar Heels’ defensive effort: freshman Drake Powell.

Playing in just his second home game for UNC, 20 minutes up the road from his hometown in Pittsboro, Powell led all players with 11 rebounds.

“I think rebounding is a fun part of the game for me,” Powell said. “I’m just trying to do it more consistently. Just feeling my whole game. I was just trying to play with a chip on my shoulder as well, crashing the boards with enthusiasm.”

There wasn’t a single person who was happier about Powell’s effort than his head coach, Hubert Davis.

“You can use him in a number of different spots on both ends of the floor,” Davis said of Powell. “He does stuff that we didn’t teach him in drills, wasn’t in any station. His one block, that’s the second time he’s done a block where he’s caught it with both hands. Last time I can remember that was MJ doing that, when we played together with the Wizards. Drake’s just starting to scratch the surface of what he can do out there on the floor.”

Powell also blocked a game-high three shots and added seven points, hitting 2-of-5 shots and 3-of-4 free throws.

North Carolina is very lucky to have a player of Powell’s caliber. If Powell can turn in this defensive effort on a nightly basis, the college basketball world needs to watch out.

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Two Tar Heels land in ESPN 2025 NBA mock draft

Which two UNC basketball players are being mocked in the ESPN 2025 NBA draft.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are two games into their 2024-25 season and have a 1-1 record after beating Elon and then losing a close game at No. 1 Kansas a few days later.

While it’s still early in the season, the expectations are still high for the Tar Heels as they hope to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champions. And if they want to do that, a big freshman duo will have to play at a high level.

As part of North Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class, the Tar Heels landed two five-star recruits in Drake Powell and Ian Jackson. The duo have earned early minutes this season and now they are drawing some hype in terms of the 2025 NBA draft.

In Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo’s updated mock draft on ESPN, they projected all 30 first-round picks. Only one North Carolina player landed in that top 30, with Drake Powell going to San Antonio (via Chicago) at No. 11 overall. Here is what they said about Powell:

Powell isn’t playing a featured role on a North Carolina team that is driven heavily by the guard trio of Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble and RJ Davis — Powell has just seven points in his first two games — but his role should remain significant enough to highlight his strengths. He’s an excellent perimeter defender with great agility and length who can score and make plays in transition. Scouts will want to see him find ways to chip in and carve out a niche without heavy touches, including taking the open 3s that are presented to him, which he has looked reluctant to do at this point.

Powell isn’t a dynamic shot creator or consistent perimeter shooter, and his ability to space the floor will be paramount in the long run. We’ll see what type of season he puts together on one of college basketball’s top teams and whether he can propel himself into the lottery. — 

While Powell was the only Tar Heel in the first round, his teammate Ian Jackson was also listed but at No. 31.

He was mocked to go as the first pick in the second round.

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Hubert Davis praises rebounding from freshmen in first game

How did Ian Jackson and Drake Powell fare in their first collegiate basketball game?

The North Carolina Tar Heels barely avoided a massive upset in their 2024-2025 college basketball opener, thanks to their top returners and some needed defense late.

RJ Davis showed why he is the country’s best player, draining the tying jumper and, moments later, giving UNC the lead for good on one of his three 3-pointers. To no one’s surprise, Davis led all scorers with 24 points.

One of North Carolina’s key storylines entering the season was how much playing time their star freshmen: Drake Powell, Ian Jackson and James Brown, would get. Preseason predictions had Jackson in the starting lineup, with Powell playing plentiful minutes off the bench.

In Monday’s victory against Elon, Powell and Jackson didn’t have a massive impact on the scoresheet. They did, however, impress head coach Hubert Davis in their collegiate debut.

“I thought they did some really good things, both Ian and Drake,” Hubert said in the postgame press conference. “You know, one of the things that they just keep getting better every practice and every game. One of the things that I think people lose sight of is just to transition from high school to this level is real. And so you can be a McDonald’s All-American and still playing at this level, it takes time. I really love how they have bought in defensively. They do a good job, not particularly on the stat sheet, but they do a really good job of rebounding the basketball. And then on the offensive end, they can create, make shots, and so they’re going to play a ton of minutes this year. We need them to step up and be big. And I’m so glad that they’re here.”

Both Powell and Jackson came off the bench, with Powell seeing 17 minutes of action and Jackson seeing just 12.

Powell scored five points (2-of-8 shooting), recorded two rebounds, dished out two assists, stole the ball once and blocked a shot. Jackson also scored five points (2-of-7), plus he recorded a singular rebound.

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Both UNC basketball freshmen on ESPN Top 50 Newcomers

Ian Jackson and Drake Powell are set for a stellar year and are among ESPN’s Top 50 transfers and freshmen.

With the men’s college basketball season on the cusp of starting, major, reputable sites are putting out an increased amount of lists and rankings. This specific list culminates the top 50 players in men’s college basketball that are either transfer to new teams or incoming freshmen.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello puts two North Carolina freshmen on the list, Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.

Powell ranks No. 19 on the list led by Duke’s Cooper Flagg.

Powell has generated positive reviews early in Chapel Hill, with scouts impressed by his ability on the defensive end. He can guard multiple positions and has good instincts at that end of the floor. Powell is a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Borzello also had high praise for the higher star talent in Ian Jackson who he has at No. 50 on this ranking.

UNC’s perimeter group is crowded, so it will be interesting to see Jackson’s role in the first few weeks, but he’s generated positive reviews so far. Aggressive with the ball in his hands, Jackson can get baskets in a hurry.

With the makeup of the Tar Heels roster, it is easy to see how Powell can have a more immediate impact with the frontcourt being weaker. However, both are NBA prospects and both will be very versatile under Hubert Davis this season.

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Three Tar Heels ranked in ESPN’s preseason top 100 college basketball players

Three UNC Tar Heels joined the ranks of the top 100 players in college basketball, according to ESPN.

Yesterday, ESPN, written by Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf released their top 100 college basketball players ahead of the start of the regular season next week. Three UNC basketball talents find their name on the list.

The first player on the list is Drake Powell. The freshman forward ranks No. 88, according to the writers who had this to say about his impact.

“At 6-5, Powell’s greatest strength is probably his versatility. In a landscape full of elite players, he can be a talented scorer and also defend multiple positions — key for a UNC squad that had a top-10 defense a year ago.”

The next player on the list was just 11 spots above Powell and that is guard Elliot Cadeau. Hubert Davis gave high praise over the offseason of Cadeau and his improvements which were noticed by Borzello and Medcalf too.

“He has long been considered one of the elite passers in the country but will look to improve upon his 18.9% 3-point shooting. If he can make strides as a shooter and on-ball defender, he can be one of the best point guards in college basketball.”

The last Tar Heel is the best, RJ Davis. Davis came in at No. 2 after a lengthy piece on the debate between fifth-year senior and potential superstar freshman in Duke’s Cooper Flagg.

“Davis deserves to be the preseason national player of the year favorite. He was a first-team All-American. He has been to the national title game. He led North Carolina to a 1-seed last season. And he’s likely going to put up bigger scoring numbers than Flagg — and make a legitimate run at becoming the Tar Heels’ all-time leading scorer. ”

Ultimately, they chose Flagg because of his hype and potential ceiling. However, Davis is still one, if not the, best player in the country.

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Where do pair of UNC freshmen land in updated NBA Mock Draft?

If Ian Jackson and Drake Powell head to the NBA next season, Hoops Hype likes their chances of being first-round selections.

College basketball season is so close, you can practically smell it every time you turn on the TV.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are once again a national championship contender, but this season with a different twist. What was a veteran-heavy team last year, headlined by Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram, is now a squad filled with young talent.

Freshman center James Brown is a key part of that youth, but the freshman headliners are Drake Powell and Ian Jackson, two five-star All-Americans in high school.

North Carolina hopes it’ll have Jackson and Powell for several years, but each are certainly talented enough to be one-and-dones. That’s why Hoops Hype’s Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft lists Jackson and Powell as projected first-round picks.

Powell is mocked 13th, while Jackson is mocked 18th. Let’s see what Hoops Hype had to say about each of the Tar Heels’ freshmen stars.

“Powell is a solid two-way player with length and defensive upside, but he has to prove his shooting consistency as he continues to develop his perimeter shot,” Hoops Hype’s Cyro Asseo de Choch wrote.

“Jackson is an aggressive guard with intensity on both ends and a strong scoring ability, but he needs to shoot with more consistency to reach his full potential,” Asseo wrote.

Jackson is likely to start and Powell should, too, but North Carolina is so deep, there’s no telling who’ll start where and who comes off the bench. Jackson comes to Chapel Hill from New York, while Powell grew up 20 minutes from campus and is living his childhood dream.

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Coaches and teammates gives high praise to UNC freshman

Jalen Washington and Hubert Davis had some high praise on impact of this freshman.

With basketball season just around the corner, reporters got an opportunity today to sit down with Tar Heel basketball players and discuss each other, the team, and the upcoming season from their perspective.

Specifically one of the interviews that stood out was Jalen Washington. With Armando Bacot out the door, there is a gaping hole in the middle of the paint that will need to be filled, and Washington is the perfect person for the job.

However, during his interview and among the questions about him stepping up and playing a bigger role, he was asked about his impression of freshman Drake Powell. Washington was quick to give Powell high praise saying “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with as much raw talent as him.”

Washington went on to tell of a story of Powell playing defensive back on a defensive fast break shutting down the opposite team’s capabilities.

It wasn’t only Washington that was impressed with Powell’s presence. Head coach Hubert Davis had this to say about the freshman.

For a guy to be as talented as he is, he is equally and probably even more humble. Just enjoys and loves being a part of a team. His athleticism and length from a defensive standpoint, is just off the chart. And talking about making impact plays on a number of different areas, he’s somebody who checks boxes all over the place. And so when you bring that type of level of player here, but brings in a team first, humble attitude, that’s something that you always want. And I’m so glad that Drake is here.

The team is shaping up to be one that can make a serious run at winning an ACC and NCAA title this season. Complete with veteran leadership, talented shooters, and young playmakers, North Carolina is poised for a big year.

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