Four- and five-star recruits in high school basketball are hard to come by around the country.
But having multiple high-caliber players in one county? That’s nearly impossible to find.
Jarin Stevenson and Drake Powell have been making waves in Chatham County ever since the two first stepped foot on a high school basketball court back in 2020. As freshmen teammates, they starred for Northwood and led the Chargers to a runner-up finish in the 3A state championship.
But when Seaforth High opened last year, the young duo was split up, with Northwood retaining the talents of Powell while Stevenson became a Hawk. Now in their junior seasons, Stevenson and Powell look to take their respective schools to uncharted heights this season.
Throughout his high school career, Powell has experienced success on the highest level.
After a runner-up finish his freshman year, Powell led the Chargers to the state quarterfinals last season. His plethora of success has earned him a four-star rating according to 247Sports, and the North Carolina commit currently ranks as the No. 50 prospect in the country in the Class of 2024.
In the Chargers’ 76-65 win over Durham’s C.E. Jordan last Tuesday, Powell’s talents were on full display. He finished with a game-high 26 points and dished out seven assists, but even more impressive than that clinical display of offense was his defensive versatility.
Powell — who is committed to play collegiately at UNC — was all over the court against the Falcons, manning the back of the Chargers’ full-court press and pressing opposing guards near half court when Northwood switched to a 1-2-2 zone. When the Chargers elected to run their man defense, the lanky guard matched up with Jordan sharp-shooter Walker Woodall, who Powell held to three points and a scoreless from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — he’s the best two-way player in the nation,” Northwood head coach Matt Brown said. “He takes so much pride on the defensive end. I think that’s what makes him so special.”
On offense, Powell showed off his three-level scoring ability. The junior guard drilled a pair of 3-pointers, knocked down multiple mid-range shots and even grazed his head on the rim during his two-handed dunk. For the season, the junior is a county-high 23.3 points per game.
Yet, what really sets Powell apart is his willingness to feed his teammates. His selfless play — largely seen in transition — is something others noted as a rare attribute for a player of Powell’s caliber. Brown even went on to say that his willingness to pass, combined his elite shooting-making ability, make Powell a player unique in the head coach’s tenure in Pittsboro.
“I’ve been trying to understand that getting to the next level is not all about scoring,” Powell said. “It’s what you can do other than score to impact the game. I have joy for my teammates’ success, as well as my own.”
With Powell leading the charge this year, Northwood looks to make its way back to the state championship game and this time come out victorious. At the time of the News + Record going to press, the Chargers were 5-1 heading into their conference opener Tuesday night.
As Stevenson goes, the Hawks tend to follow.
The heart and soul of Seaforth basketball is undoubtedly its star forward, and the top-ranked junior in North Carolina in the Class of 2024 already holds offers from some of the nation’s top programs, including UNC and Virginia.
In the Hawks’ 46-28 win over Western Alamance last Thursday, Seaforth faced the Warriors’ aggressive full-court press the entire night. Rather than dishing it off to a Hawk guard to maneuver through the pressure, Seaforth opted to use Stevenson as the lead ball-handler.
Despite his rangy stature at 6-foot-10, Stevenson’s skillset stretches well beyond your typical back-to-the-basket forward. The junior big man has a tight handle, to which he used to single-handedly break Western Alamance’s press numerous times Thursday night — a unique ability some of Stevenson’s teammates described as a “luxury.”
“With this team we don’t have much ball-handling,” Stevenson said. “I know there’s a lot of pressure and responsibility for me. I know I’m confident in my ball-handling because I’ve put the work in.”
Aside from being the lone Hawk to finish in double figures — with 15 points — Stevenson’s presence was felt on the defense end. The five-star prospect held down the center of the Hawks’ zone defense and negated almost every paint touch the Warriors made.
“(Jarin’s) very important, he does a lot for us for defense,” Seaforth head coach Jarod Stevenson — Jarin’s father — said. “I think that guys trust that they can take gambles sometimes, because they know that he’s back there behind them and he’s going to protect the basket.”
After winning just one of its first five games a season ago, the Hawks boasted a 4-2 record entering Tuesday’s game against Cummings.
With Stevenson, who leads his team in points (23.0), rebounds (10.2) and blocks (3.2) per game, heading both ends of the floor, Seaforth is hoping to make noise around the county and state, despite the varsity program only being in its second year.
“People doubted us, and we turned it around,” sophomore guard Noah Lewis said. “We came back this year and starting off 4-2, hopefully we can keep it going.”