UNC Basketball: Powell continues his rise in 2024 rankings

UNC Basketball Class of 2024 commit Drake Powell has been rising in the recruiting rankings and most recently jumped in the ESPN Top 100.

The Class of 2024 for the UNC basketball program is loaded with talent and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. One of those players in that class is small forward Drake Powell from Pittsboro, North Carolina. 247Sports has ranked him as the No. 10 player in his class and the No. 4 small forward in the country.

Powell is receiving attention from other recruiting platform rankings, such as ESPN. ESPN previously ranked Powell as the No. 27 player in the class. However, most recently, he received a big boost in his ranking, jumping fifteen spots to No. 12. The recognition in the rankings is a by-product of Powell’s play over the summer since the end of his high school junior season.

Powell played at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam and was named All-Second Team, averaging 16.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. According to ESPN, Powell is now the highest-ranked UNC basketball commit in the Class of 2024, which ranks Ian Jackson as the No. 17 player in the class (247Sports has Jackson as the No. 6 player in the class). The Class is completed by the No. 68 player in the ESPN rankings, four-star power forward James Brown.

It isn’t certain the Tar Heel coaching staff is finished with the class, as they have one scholarship offer remaining to five-star Boogie Fland, who is ranked No. 18 by ESPN and No. 15 by 247Sports. One thing is certain: Drake Powell may not be finished rising in the rankings and is likely to make a statement during his high school senior season before stepping on campus in Chapel Hill.

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