Tag: Drake Powell

UNC basketball recruit named a top 10 prospect in high school

UNC basketball recruit Drake Powell has been named among the top 10 prospects in high school regardless of class by an analyst.

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels’ have the No. 1 class in the 2024 cycle with three commitments and potentially room to add more.

Among the prospects committed is five-star forward Drake Powell. The in-state prospect committed to North Carolina back in 2023 and since then he has elevated his game, earning a fifth star and climbing into the top 10 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

This summer, Powell continued his hot play and is drawing the interest of several analysts. Most recently, Powell was named one of the top 10 best prospects in high school regardless of class.

Adam Finkelstein posted his list of the top 15 prospects currently in high school, with Powell checking in at No. 8:

Thats’ high praise for Powell to be compared to some of the best players in the country regardless of the class. Looking at 2024, Powell would be ranked No. 4 in that class behind Cooper Flagg who just reclassified, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

Powell’s rise has been fun to watch and if he continues playing this well, he could move up even more in the 2024 rankings.

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Four-star combo guard recruit Sir Mohammed commits to Notre Dame

Another addition to the 2024 recruiting class.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s team of the future is picking up steam. Two days before 2024 four-star combo guard recruit [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] was set to announce his college pick, 2024 four-star forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag] committed to Notre Dame. Now, you can add Mohammed to the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class. Mohammed announced his commitment during the Elite 24 showcase in Atlanta:

Needless to say, Shrewsberry had to celebrate everything that had transpired of late:

Mohammed, the son of former NBA player Nazr Mohammed, ranks fourth among 2024 recruits from North Carolina on 247Sports. He visited Notre Dame on June 18 and also took official visits to Virginia Tech, Marquette and Stanford. With this announcement, three of North Carolina’s top four 2024 recruits have committed to ACC programs. Drake Powell has picked North Carolina, Isaiah Evans is headed for Duke, and Jayden Quaintance has not yet made his decision.

Mohammed, who joins Sundra and [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] in the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class, has put up solid numbers for Myers Park in Charlotte. In three seasons on the varsity squad, he has averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals a game. That’s the type of production the Irish will take, and here’s hoping that translates at the college level.

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UNC basketball 2024 commit Drake Powell named to Nike Skills team

Drake Powell, one of two 2024 5-star commits for the UNC men’s basketball team, is participating in the Nike Skills Academy this week.

Last year, 5-star UNC basketball commit Drake Powell showed the world why he’s one of the best players in the Class of 2024.

Powell, a rising senior at Northwood (N.C.) High School, averaged 18.6 points per game last year en route to the Chargers’ appearance in the NCHSAA 3A state championship game. Northwood dominated the Central 3A conference with a 28-3 (12-0) record, then continued to run through the conference tournament.

Powell can do pretty much everything on the court – make full-court passes, slam down thunderous dunks, knock down 3-pointers with ease and pull up from mid-range.

Just three months’ out from the start of his senior year, Powell is continuing to earn himself opporunities in the basketball world. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Powell earned himself a well-deserved spot on the Nike Skills Academy’s High School Boys team (top left).

Powell will be training alongside some of the country’s top high school talent in Oregon this week, including UNC target Boogie Fland and Charlotte native (North Mecklenburg High School) Isaiah Evans.

The Nike Skills Academy allows high school and collegiate basketball players to train alongside some of the NBA’s best players and coaches.

There’s no doubt that this exposure will help improve Powell’s skillset even more, which would be scary for opponents. He’s already showed what he can do in both his high school season and off-season tournaments.

Powell will try to help Northwood get over the hump of winning a state championship in year four. The Chargers will move down to a 2A conference with Pittsboro rival Seaforth, Bartlett Yancey, Chatham Central, Cummings, Graham, Jordan-Matthews and North Moore.

Training with the best increases Powell’s likelihood of achieving this goal.

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UNC basketball commit Drake Powell is impressing during summer circuit

Drake Powell, one of two 5-star commits in the UNC men’s basketball team’s 2024 class, is impressing the media during summer basketball.

Drake Powell is one of the UNC men’s basketball team’s two five-star players in the Class of 2024. Powell helped his Northwood High School squad to two NCHSAA state championship game appearances in the past three seasons.

The Chargers made a run to the 3A title game in 2021, losing 57-46 to Weddington High. They looked more dominant in 2023, breezing through conference play undefeated, but fell in the 3A championship to Central Cabarrus.

During his three seasons in Pittsboro, Powell has been the best player on the floor. According to MaxPreps, he’s averaged 16.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Without Max Frazier and Kenan Parrish to share the floor with him, those averages should increase for Powell during his senior season.

As he prepares to capture an elusive state championship, Powell is impressing on the summer circuit.

When asked which prospects impressed him most during July, Rivals.com’s Jason Jordan highlighted Powell.

“I had seen him during the high school season and didn’t leave overly impressed, but watching him play in July and really. all spring and summer, changed my perspective on his capabilities and projections,” Jordan said. “He was stellar at Peach Jam, averaging 16.6 points, 10 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game. I was mostly impressed with his ability as a playmaker and his feel and vision. He knocked down shots consistently and got to the rim with ease. At 6-foot-6, that’s going to be a vital weapon in Chapel Hill early and often.”

Powell and fellow 2024 five-star Ian Jackson are going to form a lethal backcourt at UNC. With four-star center James Brown joining them, Carolina fans should feel confident about the future.

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Analysts believe this UNC basketball recruit could reach top 3 in 2024 rankings

A five-star UNC basketball commit could move into the top 3 of the 2024 recruiting rankings per analysts after the Nike Peach Jam.

One Drake has already made his mark on the University of North Carolina: Quarterback Drake Maye is set for his second season as a starter. Now, another Drake is gaining headlines before he steps foot on campus.

Five-star recruit Drake Powell committed to North Carolina in September 2022. At that time, Powell was a four-star recruit. But he has elevated his game and earned a fifth star. Powell had a fantastic junior season and is standing out on the AAU circuit. He has climbed all the way to No. 9 on the 247Sports rankings and another rise could be looming.

In a recent podcast on 247Sports, Adam Finkelstein, Travis Branham and Eric Bossi discussed the Peach Jam and which prospects improved their stock during the event. Powell was mentioned in the segment with some praise:

“I think it’s pretty clearly Drake Powell,” Bossi said. “I don’t think this is a hot take, because he’s a guy we already moved into the national top 10. But when we did so, we discussed how the production didn’t match the tools yet or we would have ranked him higher. Well guess what? The production is matching the tools now. Man is he something special. … Me, personally, I think you can make a strong argument for Drake Powell in the top three for the class of 2024 at this point.”

That’s a strong statement from a respected national recruiting analyst in Bossi. But he wasn’t the only one who mentioned it.

Branham agreed.

“He’s definitely in the top three conversation for me,” Branham said. “He’s absolutely in the top five on my personal board, and he has been for a good part of close to six months at this point.”

That’s certainly great news for North Carolina who locked up a commitment from the in-state prospect early. With Powell’s rise, it means UNC could have two players in the top five or potentially top three depending on what Ian Jackson does from now until next year.

You can watch the full interview below:

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UNC commit Drake Powell named among biggest stock risers

UNC basketball recruit Drake Powell continues to receive more hype as he was named among the biggest risers in the July period.

Drake Powell’s rise as a North Carolina basketball commit continues this summer right after he earned five-star status as a recruit.

Since Powell committed to the Tar Heels in 2022 he’s taken his game to a new level. Not only did he earn his fifth star by 247Sports, he also climbed into the top 10 in the site’s recruiting rankings for the 2024 class. Sitting as the No. 9 prospect, Powell continues to impress and recently he was named as a player who has raised his stock recently.

Eric Bossi of 247Sports wrote on Powell’s game, listing him as one of his biggest risers from the first evaluation period in July:

What he did: When we last updated our 2024 rankings, Drake Powell made a leap into the national top 10. At that time the only reason we didn’t move him up higher was because his production wasn’t quite there yet. After the 16.6 points, 10 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game he had during the Peach Jam, Powell has now shown the type of production that we were hoping to see.

As explosive as any wing in the class, Powell’s ability to blow by defenders, play off of two feet, always be on balance and then elevate over anybody is undeniable. Thinking long term, he shows promise as a playmaker for others and he has all of the tools to be an elite defensive player as well. Personally, I would rank him in the top five nationally.

Powell’s ceiling continues to climb as well, especially with him playing the way he has.

North Carolina currently has two top 10 recruits with Ian Jackson being in the top 5 as well. There’s potential for Powell to move up even more which means UNC’s class will get even better.

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Drake Powell earns honors at Nike Peach Jam

UNC basketball commit Drake Powell has earned some honors at the Peach Jam last week.

North Carolina basketball commit Drake Powell continued his hot play into the summer and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

After earning his fifth star a few months back, Powell continues to elevate his game and has recently cracked the top 10 in the 247Sports rankings. This past week, Powell played well at the Peach Jam in North Augusta playing for Team CP3. And he’s earning some praise for his performance.

After averaging 16.6 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, Powell was named to the Peach Jam All-Second Team:

The North Carolina product has really improved over the past year going back to his junior year of high school and now continuing it into the AAU cycle.

With Powell playing this well and moving up the recruiting rankings, UNC’s No. 1 class continues to get look good. Let’s hope he can continue to climb the rankings and improve his game.

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UNC commit posts double double in Peach Jam win

A UNC basketball commit has posted a double-double at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam on Thursday.

It’s been an impressive start to the Peach Jam for North Carolina commit Drake Powell. The recruit has been on an impressive streak as of late, earning a fifth star this year after committing to UNC back in 2023.

Powell has also climbed into the top 10 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings and is part of a 2024 class that is No. 1 in the cycle for the Tar Heels. Now, at the Peach Jam in South Carolina, Powell is averaging 18 points per game through the first four games and has looked impressive.

That continued on Thursday night as he had a big game for Team CP3, scoring 18 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the win:

Powell and his teammate, Duke commit Isaiah Evans, led the way for Team CP3 who is off to a 3-1 start.

If Powell keeps this play up, he could move even higher in the rankings before they are completed. And that’s great news for the Tar Heels as they await his arrival on campus.

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Drake Powell off to hot start at Peach Jam

UNC basketball commit Drake Powell is off to a hot start at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

The rise of North Carolina commit Drake Powell continues.

The five-star recruit out of North Carolina has climbed the recruiting rankings since his commitment to the Tar Heels in 2022. He earned a fifth star and climbed into the top 10 on the 247Sports recruiting rankings and if he continues this hot play, he could climb even higher.

This week Powell is playing at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in South Carolina. helping Team CP3 in the tournament. And so far, Powell is off to a hot start.

Through three games Powell is averaging just over 18 points per game and added another solid game on Wednesday. Despite losing to Team Final, Powell scored 20 points, dished out 8 assists, and grabbed 6 rebounds in front of a national audience on NBATV.

The forward continues to showcase his skill set as a recruit and you can see the improvement from now to even last summer. This is great news for the Tar Heels and the 2024 class which ranks No. 1 overall as it stands right now.

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UNC basketball commit among standouts at NBPA Top 100 Camp

UNC basketball commit Drake Powell earns praise at the NBPA Top 100 camp.

North Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class is the best in the country with three commitments so far. The class has two five-star recruits and a four-star recruit, and that’s after Elliot Cadeau reclassified.

But a big reason the Tar Heels have maintained the No. 1 ranking is forward Drake Powell.

The in-state recruit committed to UNC in 2022 and has since elevated his game by earning an extra star and climbing into the top 15 in recruiting rankings. Powell’s play continues to be praised this summer.

Powell is among the recruits participating in the NBPA Top 100 Camp and on Day 2, he was named a standout. Here is what Travis Branham of 247Sports wrote on Powell after the second day:

Drake Powell has been one of the biggest stock-risers in the country over the last 18 months and he is only continuing on his trajectory. He has gone from a top-75 ranked prospect up inside the top 10, and I have said it before and will say it again, he probably isn’t done rising in the rankings just yet.

On Thursday morning, Powell channeled his aggressive side and started putting his foot on the gas on the offensive end, being much more assertive. He showcased his ability to handle, create, pass and most notably shot-make.