Northwood boys basketball star Drake Powell has continued to climb up recruiting boards since finishing his junior season.
Earlier this month, Powell rose to No. 19 overall in 247Sports’ Class of 2024 rankings and earned that coveted fifth star. He is now the No. 3 player from North Carolina in the rankings, behind North Mecklenburg small forward Isaiah Evans (No. 10) and Seaforth power forward Jarin Stevenson (No. 12).
People who follow Chatham County athletics know how special Powell is. In three seasons at Northwood, he has averaged 16.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 75 career games, and this past season he led the Chargers to the finals of the 3A state tournament.
But the junior has still flown under radar on the national level — that was, at least, until last weekend.
Competing at Session 1 of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in Emerson, Georgia, Powell — a 6-foot-6 UNC commit — led Team CP3 to a 4-0 record. He averaged a team-high 20.3 points per game during the showcase, adding 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He also shot 53.8% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 80.8% from the free-throw line.
The Athletic’s Brendan Marks — who covers UNC and Duke men’s basketball for the website — was at the showcase in Georgia this past weekend to watch Powell and a few other Tar Heel commits. Speaking with the News + Record earlier this week, Marks said almost everyone in the building was impressed by what the Northwood wing brought to the table.
“When you actually saw him step out there, the physicality was more impressive than I expected,” Marks said. “And for all the defensive hype he’s gotten — and he does play great defense — this was probably the first time I’ve seen him being the best offensive player on the whole team.”
Powell, who was named first-team all-state by the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association this past season, had a rough shooting performance to start the session. In a win over Team Melo, he scored 12 points while shooting 5-of-16 (31.3%) from the floor. But over his final three games, Powell averaged 23.0 points per game and knocked down 23-of-36 (63.9%) of his field goals.
The highlight of the session was Powell’s performance in his final game against Paul George Elite, when he totaled 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists while making three 3-pointers. Marks said many onlookers were impressed with the way Powell carried his team on the offensive end.
“He doesn’t do it in a selfish way,” Marks said. “He lets the offense flow naturally, but when the shot clock hits five, his teammates are looking at him and giving him the ball. He’s able to create off the dribble, and he hit a really nice moving three with a hand in his face on the first night. He can also drive and score around the rim.”
Powell is part of UNC’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class. The Tar Heels have two other commits — shooting guard Ian Jackson (No. 5) and point guard Elliott Cadeau (No. 11) — ranked inside the top 20, while center James Brown is ranked 47th in the class. The last time UNC brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation was in 2006, when they signed Brandan Wright, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.
UNC assistant coaches Sean May and Brad Frederick were in attendance for the EYBL showcase. Marks said he heard about other coaches coming up to them and telling them Powell looks like “the kind of kid who plays at Carolina when Carolina is good.”
It’s still going to be a while before Powell joins UNC’s team and officially steps on campus as a student, and he still has some unfinished business at the high school level. In 2023-24, he’ll try to lead Northwood back to the 3A state championship game and give his team some redemption after two runner-up finishes over the past three years. If he continues to improve at the pace he’s done the last few years, Powell could check off that goal while continuing to grow his national presence.
“I think when he first signed, you looked at him and could project him to be a very capable player and be that connective tissue, because he does a little bit of everything,” Marks said. “But this weekend I think opened a lot of eyes nationally, and also the coaches at UNC, that this kid is still getting better, and I think when all is said and done, he could be a top-10 player in this class.”
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.