UNC basketball rookie earns more praise in the West

Earlier this week at the Nike Skills Academy in Portland, Oregon, ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony highlighted the “improved passing, defense and shooting” of the lone UNC basketball player in attendance, freshman Drake Powell.

The prestigious event, where NBA scouts watched a few dozen invitation-only college and high school prospects train and play under the guidance of professionals, concluded Thursday. Powell evidently contributed to their impressive early performances.

On Thursday, Givony posted 75 seconds of footage of Powell and provided a slightly more detailed assessment of the 6-foot-6, 195-pound McDonald’s All-American from Northwood High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina:

“UNC’s Drake Powell excelled at the Nike Academy, where he displayed an impressive combination of defensive versatility, intensity, passing and confidence shooting from the perimeter. He impacts wins in a variety of ways and has plenty of room for continued growth over the long term.”

Some 2025 mock drafts have Drake Powell listed as a first-round pick. The same goes for another UNC basketball freshman, five-star guard Ian Jackson.

That, of course, suggests both could turn pro next spring and become the first single-team Tar Heels of the Hubert Davis era.

UNC basketball hasn’t produced a single team since center Day’Ron Sharpe decided to forgo his remaining eligibility in 2021 and came off the board at No. 29 overall to the Brooklyn Nets.

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