Former Chatham County basketball standouts Drake Powell and Jarin Stevenson participated in the 2024 Nike Skills Academy in Portland, Oregon from Aug. 5 to 8.
The Nike Skills Academy gathered some of the nation’s best college and high school basketball players to take part in workouts, drills, film sessions and scrimmages. Current and former NBA players helped run the camp, and NBA scouts were in attendance.
Stevenson and Powell were two of the 15 college men’s basketball players selected to the camp, joining established names in Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Bruce Thornton (Ohio State) and Hunter Dickinson (Kansas).
Powell, making his second appearance at the camp, turned heads with his performance, according to draft experts.
Jonathan Givony, an ESPN NBA draft analyst and founder of DraftExpress.com, said on his X account that Powell showed an “impressive blend of defensive versatility, intensity, passing and perimeter shooting confidence.”
Givony also posted a video on X of Powell working with Chris Matthews, or “Lethal Shooter,” who is a shooting coach that has worked with numerous NBA and WNBA athletes. Powell’s improved shooting was another aspect of his game that stood out, according to Givony.
Pro Insight, a database for elite up-and-coming players, added on to the praise, naming Powell as one of the five college men’s players that “helped themselves” in front of NBA scouts at the camp.
Some early 2025 NBA Draft boards have Powell and Stevenson both going in the first round, should they both decide to go pro after next season. Bleacher Report’s latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft published Monday had Powell as high as the fifth overall pick and its mock draft published on July 18 had Stevenson as the 28th overall pick.
Stevenson, a former standout at Seaforth, impressed during his freshman year at Alabama, averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He made a huge impact in the Crimson Tide’s Final Four run last season as he scored a career-high 19 points in their Elite Eight win over Clemson.
Powell wrapped up his Northwood career in the spring, recording 17.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in his senior season. He committed to UNC in 2022 and officially signed to the program in November.
The two former high school teammates and eventual rivals will face off when North Carolina hosts Alabama in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4.
Including just sanctioned high school and collegiate competition, this will be the second time that the local stars play against each other. Powell and the Chargers got the best of Stevenson and the Hawks on Nov. 23, 2021, when Northwood beat Seaforth, 72-42. In that game, Powell led the Chargers with 26 points and eight steals while Stevenson recorded 13 points and four rebounds while shooting 63% from the floor.