UNC Basketball freshmen duo earn spots on Julius Erving Award Watch List

The UNC basketball program is represented by two five-star freshmen on the Preseason Julius Erving Award Watch List for the 2024-2025 season.

Both Ian Jackson and Drake Powell have been named to the 20-player list, making the UNC basketball program the lone team with multiple players on the list.

Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer Julius Erving, the annual honor, in its 11th year, recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

2025 Julius Erving Award Candidates
Trey Townsend- Arizona
BJ Freeman- Arizona State
Chad Baker-Mazara- Auburn
Tyson Degenhart- Boise State
Cooper Flagg- Duke
Michael Ajayi- Gonzaga
Mackenzie Mgbako- Indiana
Payton Sandfort- Iowa
Milan Momcilovic- Iowa State
A.J. Storr- Kansas
Jaxson Robinson- Kentucky
Matthew Cleveland- Miami
Frankie Fidler- Michigan State
Mark Mitchell- Missouri
Ian Jackson- North Carolina
Drake Powell- North Carolina
Ace Bailey- Rutgers
Arthur Kaluma- Texas
Liam McNeeley- UConn
Tucker DeVries- West Virginia

Jackson was regarded as one of the top recruits in the Class of 2024, while Powell serves as one of the highest rising prospects that the recruiting class had to offer. Now, both are ready to begin their freshman seasons with the UNC basketball program, hoping to make an immediate impact from the jump.

If all goes well, both can easily be "one-and-done" type players. Given the talent and athleticism that they've displayed through the preseason, both players have provided a glimpse of what Tar Heels fans can expect from them during the 2024-2025 season.