Tag: Drake Powell

UNC basketball commit takes big jump in 2024 rankings

UNC Basketball commit Drake Powell is now ranked as a five-star recruit after making a massive jump in the rankings.

The UNC basketball program is preparing for the regular-season finale against Duke, a rematch between the blue-blooded programs with a great deal on the line for the Tar Heels.

And while the attention is on making the NCAA Tournament, the future of the program is in the hands of the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

Hubert Davis and his staff have put together an impressive 2024 class so far. They have four commits and the No. 1 overall class. On Thursday, that class became even better because of the updated 247Sports rankings.

Among the biggest risers in the 2024 class was forward Drake Powell, who committed to North Carolina in September of 2022.

Powell climbed 37 spots to No. 19 and is now a five-star recruit in the updated 247Sports rankings. That’s impressive and shouldn’t be too shocking. Powell has been consistently good over the past year. 

With the jump of Powell into the top 20, North Carolina has four recruits in the top 50, including three five stars. Powell joins Ian Jackson (No. 5) and Elliott Cadeau (No. 11) as five-star recruits. Four-star center James Brown is ranked No. 50 in the updated rankings.

The Tar Heels continue to have the top class with a score of 69.13, beating No. 2 Baylor, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Iowa State and No. 5 Rutgers.

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UNC commits projected to be future winners at NBA All-Star Weekend

Two UNC basketball commits projected to be future winners at NBA All-Star Weekend.

With the NBA All-Star break coming up, it’s a time to look ahead to future potential participants and a few of them could be coming from the UNC basketball program.

There’s no question that UNC’s future recruiting classes are extremely talented and possess a few NBA caliber talent.

According to 247Sports, there are two North Carolina commits who could be potential winners in the future.

One is point guard commit [autotag]Elliot Cadeau[/autotag] and the other is wing [autotag]Ian Jackson[/autotag]. Cadeau was notes as the Skills Challenge winner while Jackson was the Slam Dunk winner.

On Cadeau: “Elliot Cadeau is a very skilled point guard who combines his skill set with a tremendous dose of athleticism. He is quick and fast; but more importantly, he has a great change of direction. When cut off by a defender, he can get to a counter move in the blink of an eye. His ability to quickly weave through tight spaces with the ball in his hands would make him hard to beat here.”

On Jackson: “Not only does Ian Jackson have the bounce that makes him worthy for the dunk contest, but he also carries a nickname that projects to be memorable. Also known as “Captain Jack,” Jackson has some serious pop in his legs. A true shooting guard at 6-foot-4, Jackson has elite explosion and off-the-charts athletic ability. He has a history of beating defenders on his attack and taking off with fast twitch fibers to finish at the rim.”

The 2024 class for the Tar Heels is currently ranked No. 1 in the country with commitments from Cadeau, Jackson and four star prospects James Brown and Drake Powell.

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Key 2024 target for UNC rises to top-10 prospect in class

One key class of 2024 target for the UNC basketball program recently climbed to a top-10 prospect in the newest rankings.

The 247Sports class of 2024 rankings were released recently and for one key UNC basketball target in the class, a nice bump in the rankings was expected, and it happened.

Previously ranked No. 17 in the class, five-star big man [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] is now a top-10 prospect, climbing up to No. 10 overall in the rankings. He is the No. 2 rated power forward.

It has long been rumored that UNC is the team to beat for the in-state prospect and that started right after Hubert Davis made Stevenson UNC’s first 2024 offer.

The 6-foot-8, 190-pound power forward is from Pittsboro, NC and has UNC ties as well, as is mom, Nicole, played basketball at North Carolina.

Already, Stevenson has made numerous unofficial visits to North Carolina.

Right now, Stevenson holds offers from Georgetown, NC State, Missouri, Virginia, Wake Forest, Florida State and others.

As a sophomore, Stevenson averaged 20.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game last season for Pittsboro (N.C.) Seaforth.

The Tar Heels already hold one commitment in the class of 2024, with the recent addition of four-star wing Drake Powell.

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UNC commit Drake Powell among highest riser in 247Sports rankings

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program get good news regarding a 2024 commit as he climbed 20 spots in the 247Sports rankings.

The UNC basketball program has one recruit committed in the 2024 recruiting class after landing a commitment from [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag] last week.

The lifelong UNC fan pledged his commitment on Thursday, getting Hubert Davis and his staff on the board for the class. And now a week later, Powell is seeing his stock on the rise.

247Sports has updated its 2024 rankings for the class, putting out the first update since April. Among the highest risers in the class rankings is the UNC commit as Powell climbed 20 spots from No. 76 overall to No. 56 in the rankings. He also earned a fourth star for his ranking as well.

Here is what recruiting analyst Eric Bossi had to say about Powell and his climb:

Why he rose: When you look at all that Drake Powell showed during the summer with Team CP3 on the 16U circuit of Nike’s EYBL then it is easy to see why he made a 20-spot climb in the latest rankings. You can also see why he’s got room to climb higher between now and his graduation date in the spring of 2024. A lengthy, bouncy, near 6-foot-6 wing, Powell is a sleek transition athlete who loves to punctuate finishes with dunks in any situation. Though he’s gotten better off the dribble and as a jump shooter, gains there could really move him up the list. Regardless of how quickly he beefs up those aspects of the game, his perimeter defense should travel to the next level where he could be an All-Conference type ball hawk.

This is certainly good news for UNC and their 2024 class to get off to a good start with this commitment.

They still have several offers out for recruits in the 2024 class and we have to imagine they end up with at least two more commitments.

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UNC lands first commitment of 2024 class with Drake Powell

The UNC basketball program has landed a three-star recruit in the 2024 class as Drake Powell has committed.

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program have their first commitment in the 2024 recruiting class. And it’s a local commit.

A day after the Tar Heels lost out on 2023 forward T.J. Power, the team got good news on Thursday afternoon. Three-star forward [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag] became the first player to commit to UNC in the 2024 class.

The Pittsboro, North Carolina native decided it was time to commit to UNC via a special article via Inside Carolina, ending his recruitment here in 2022.

Powell picked UNC over 12 other offers in his recruitment including from Florida State, N.C. State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Miami, and Georgia. He cited family as a big reason why he committed, growing up a Tar Heel fan and wanting to continue the legacy.

With the commitment of Powell, UNC is now on the board in the 2024 cycle and has a base to build off of.  Davis and his staff are still in pursuit of other top targets out there in 2024 and when it’s all said and done, they hope it’s one of the best classes in the country.

Powell is ranked No. 76 nationally, No. 24 small forward and No. 6 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports rankings.

Four-star in-state forward sets official visit to UNC

Class of 2024 UNC basketball recruiting target Drake Powell has set his official visit for August 23rd.

Hubert Davis and the UNC Basketball program will have the chance to impress four-star small forward [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag] later this month.

The Pittsboro, North Carolina native is a recruit that UNC has had their eyes on for months now and he’s finally taking his official visit to campus. Powell will be on UNC’s campus on August 23rd for his official visit according to multiple reports.

Powell has a total of 11 offers in his recruitment so far, but this will be his first official visit so far. He’s drawing interest from several other programs including Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and LSU among others.

With zero commitments in the 2024 recruiting class, Davis and his staff are hoping to finally land a recruit and put together a big class.

Powell has emerged as one of their top targets and this visit could determine a lot for his recruitment moving forward.

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Four-star UNC basketball target named standout

This four-star recruit was named a standout at the Peach Jam and the UNC Basketball program continues to have eyes on him.

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program are out evaluating prospects for future recruiting classes, hoping to get an eye on some top talent in the country.

This week, the staff is in Augusta, Georgia to watch the Nike EYBL Peach Jam event. And they are keeping tabs on a four-star forward in the 2024 class.

Pittsboro, North Carolina native[autotag] Drake Powell[/autotag] recently received an offer from the Tar Heels and now they are watching him closely. Per DuShawn London of 247Sports, the Tar Heels had two assistants watching Powell at the Peach Jam. He was also one of London’s standouts from the event on Friday:

Over at 16U, CP3 wing Drake Powell showed a lot of promise and upside. At 6-foot-7 Powell is a true wing who handles it well and has a smooth jump shot which he gets great elevation on. Powell has great length and athleticism that he uses well on both ends. Although the three wasn’t falling, he showed he can guard multiple positions, get his teammates involved, and can get to the rim and finish with either hand. Powell recently received an offer from UNC, which had two assistants in attendance for his game.

Powell is a recruit that has seen his stock rise a bit over the past few months, especially with good showings on the AAU circuit. He’s a player that the Tar Heels are hoping to eventually land and get their 2024 class off to a good start.

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Is UNC the clear leader for 2024 top-100 prospect?

A recruiting analyst predicts UNC basketball will land a 2024 top-100 prospect who just received an offer from the Tar Heels.

Fresh off of an offer from the UNC basketball program, one 2024 prospect may not need to draw out his recruitment much longer.

Top-100 wing [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag] earned a scholarship offer from North Carolina earlier this week and the in-state prospect has been extremely open about his love for the Tar Heels.

Now, one recruiting analyst has put in a prediction for UNC to land the 2024 wing, giving the Tar Heels a 99 percent of landing him.

On3.com analyst Jamie Shaw says the Tar Heels will land a commitment from Powell and says it’s a recruitment that UNC fans need to monitor closely due to Powell’s high interest in the program.

“Growing up, North Carolina was my dream school and I went to a lot of their games,” Powell told Shaw.

This is not the first time Powell has mentioned that the Tar Heels were his dream school. The in-state prospect has already visited North Carolina multiple times as well, even before landing an offer.

Part of that love comes from multiple family connections to UNC. The Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High wing’s father played baseball at North Carolina in the 80s and his mom also attended the University.

While Powell mentions that he is remaining open in his recruitment, there are a lot of connections to UNC that will make it hard for him to pass.

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2024 top-100 wing lands offer from Hubert Davis, UNC

2024 top-100 wing Drake Powell has earned an offer from Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program.

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program extended an offer to another top talent in the state of North Carolina, this time with 2024 wing [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag].

Powell is a 6-foot-5 wing from Northwood (NC) High School and ranked No. 76 in the 247Sports class of 2024 rankings.

Powell already holds offers from Florida State, N.C. State, LSU, Miami, Cincinnati, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, VCU and Wake Forest.

The in-state wing joins Ian Jackson, Cam Scott, Tre Johnson, James Brown and Jarin Stevenson as the class of 2024 prospects that hold offers from North Carolina.

Powell has already visited UNC multiple times and was contacted right away on June 15, the first day rising juniors can receive calls from coaches.

Powell plays for Team CP3 on the Nike EYBL circuit. In 13 games, he has averaged 9.1 points on 39.4 percent shooting from three and added 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Powell averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 steals per game this past season for Northwood.

247Sports analyst Travis Branham first saw Powell earlier this year and broke down his game.

The 6-foot-5, 170-pound wing comes from a family of athlete and is an athlete himself. He’s an active, high motor wing with length who slashes, can make shots off the catch and pull and has an impressive approach to the defensive end and on the glass for his age.

With Powell’s activity on both ends, he had his fingerprints marked all over the game to start the day and also showed upside to keep you coming back to track his development.

His father Dedric Powell played baseball at North Carolina in the late 1980s. and Powell has called UNC his ‘dream school’. 

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2024 four-star wing calls UNC basketball ‘dream school’ growing up

2024 four-star wing Drake Powell calls UNC basketball his ‘dream school’ growing up as his recruitment is starting with the Tar Heels.

The UNC basketball program has been in the national spotlight for much of the last five decades and that makes it easy for up-and-coming recruits to grow up watching a lot of the Tar Heels.

For 2024 four-star wing [autotag]Drake Powell[/autotag], his interest in UNC growing up was very high, and still is.

According to On3.com, the 6-foot-5 guard called UNC his ‘dream school’ when he was growing up and the Tar Heels have already started to reach out.

“Growing up, North Carolina was a dream school for me because I went to a lot of their games,” Powell said. “But as I got into this recruiting process, my dream turned into playing basketball in college. It would be cool if they offered, but I am open and listening to every school.”

Powell averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 steals per game for Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High last season.

So far, he holds offers from Miami, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, LSU, Tennessee, USF and Wake Forest.

Powell has already taken multiple unofficial visits to UNC throughout the last few months.

His father Dedric Powell played baseball at North Carolina in the late 1980s.

While a North Carolina offer hasn’t come yet, it is worth monitoring.

Powell is ranked No. 76 in the 247Sports 2024 rankings. 

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