4-star Drake Powell picks up UNC offer and a new expert pick

Drake Powell is the No. 47 player in On3’s recent 2024 rankings update. The 6-foot-6 wing has established himself on Team CP3 on the EYBL’s 16u Circuit as one of the premier perimeter defenders in the country.

Following his performance at EYBL Kansas City, Powell picked up an offer from North Carolina. The Tar Heels have joined Miami, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, LSU, Wake Forest, Tennessee, South Florida, and Florida State in offering Powell since the start of June.

“Coach (Hubert) Davis called me,” Powell told On3. “After talking for a bit, he offered me. He said he liked my game and enjoyed watching me in Kansas City.”

The UNC offer is an interesting one for Powell as there are some underlying ties to the program. For starters, Powell attends Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High, which is exactly 22 miles away from the Dean E. Smith Center. Powell’s father also attended North Carolina, where he played third base for the Tar Heels.

Former UNC great and six-time NBA all-star Walter Davis is also a great uncle of Powell. Walter Davis is the brother of Hubert Davis, Sr., the father of Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis.

The Top-50 ranked wing has previously gone on record saying he grew up a UNC fan, telling On3, “Growing up, North Carolina was my dream school and I went to a lot of their games.”

I want to be completely transparent here to point out that this statement was made about his fandom as a child. Powell also added, “Now that I am going through the recruiting process, I am open to every school.”

It is also worth noting that Drake’s sister, Cera Powell, is a rising senior on the Virginia Tech volleyball team. A school that has also offered Powell.

Powell and UNC

However, this recruitment is one for UNC fans to monitor closely. While the four-star says he will go through the recruiting process and entertain each offer as it comes in, I have entered my expert pick into On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Powell to pick the Tar Heels.

With my 55-percent confidence, RPM now gives North Carolina a 99.8-percent chance of landing the homegrown prospect.