‘Checks so many boxes’: How Drake Powell brings versatility to UNC basketball lineup
Drake Powell’s freshman year at North Carolina has been filled with moments that showcase his versatility and value to the team, that can make you sit up and take notice.
NBA scouts, for example: They’ve surely noticed.
Powell has not had a 20-point scoring game. He has not had a double-double. He’s averaging 7 points a game, sixth-best on the Heels, who have won their past four games after a 96-85 win Monday at Florida State.
But those moments …
It’s Powell running the floor in transition against FSU, with a no-look bounce pass to Jalen Washington for a fastbreak layup.
It’s Powell skying to grab an offensive rebound against Virginia, then darting down the lane for a two-hand slam to amp up the Smith Center.
It’s Powell getting floor burns late against Pittsburgh, diving across the floor for a loose ball in a one-point win.
It’s Powell blocking a shot against Colin Smalls of American and doing it with … both hands? He brought the ball down like a rebound to start the break.
“I feel like, given my talents, I can do a lot of different things on the court,” Powell said after the Virginia game.
That’s not being cocky. There is rarely, if ever, a sense that Powell is boasting about himself and he isn’t demonstrative on the court. More of an all-business type.
In the Tar Heels’ four-game winning streak that has them back in the NCAA tournament picture — albeit somewhere on or around the so-called bubble — Powell has started and been used on the wing as Jae’Lyn Withers and Ven-Allen Lubin both have been in the starting lineup. A bigger lineup has made UNC a much better rebounding team, something that had been lacking,
At 6-6, Powell seems best suited to be a small forward, even as UNC’s Hubert Davis says he’s a “positionless” coach and that Powell is capable of swinging between positions during a game. But Powell’s teammates have noticed a difference with Powell at the “3.”
“He’s a lot more comfortable,” Lubin said. “I think that’s definitely his original position, and for him to play his original position gives him that confidence and freedom to do what he does best.”
It’s hard to say what Powell does best. He has the quickness and hops that made him a 5-star recruit at Northwood High in Pittsboro. He can shoot. His long wingspan — UNC says it has not measured it — makes him a menacing defender.
“He checks so many boxes,” Davis said. “He can rebound, he can shoot 3’s, he can attack the basket, finish above the rim, get second-chance opportunities, knock down free throws.”
Against Virginia, Powell was matched up at times against Isaac McKneely, the Cavaliers’ leading scorer. Against FSU, Powell was used in the second half against Jamir Watkins and helped slow down Watkins after an 18-point first half by the 6-7 senior.
The Heels’ rallied late in regulation against BC to force overtime — and win the game — after Powell forced two turnovers guarding inbounds passes.
“With his athleticism and length he’s very disruptive,” Withers said.
Powell had a season-high 18 points against Michigan State in Maui, and 17 in a win over SMU at the Smith Center when he knocked down four of six 3-pointers -- he’s shooting 51.3% on 3’s at home, 18.8% on the road.
“My coaches keep telling me to be aggressive and just let the game come to me,” he said.
That Powell would land at UNC was virtually a given. His father, Dedric, played baseball for the Tar Heels. Powell’s mother, Cherice, also is a UNC graduate and a cousin of Davis, so there was a family connection.
Drake Powell grew up watching the Heels play football at Kenan Stadium and baseball at Boshamer Stadium, and also attended men’s and women’s basketball games. He’d also join his mom in going to the Smith Center to see the Heels off for big games, hoping his turn would come.
Like most college freshmen, Powell has had to adapt to different classes and a new environment in addition to the demands of competing in the ACC. He doesn’t live far from home, but he’s just a college kid.
“There have been highs and lows, but I’ve been enjoying every second of it,” Powell said.
Every second of it. Powell apparently does not have complete tunnel vision when it comes to his hoops. He said he has been to some UNC women’s basketball games, to soccer and volleyball games. He enjoys walking around campus.
The NBA? That might wait another year. Some 2025 mock drafts have had Powell and UNC freshman Ian Jackson slotted low in the first round or as high second-round picks.
For now, for Powell, it’s about beating Miami on Saturday and running the streak to five games. Since their beatdown at Clemson, the Tar Heels (18-11 overall, 11-6 ACC) have intensified the pace and tone of their practices and gotten off to faster, better starts in games.
“We just want to have that dog mentality in practice and carry it over to the games,” Powell said. “We want to play with a sense of urgency every game and we want to raise that level each game.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 10:09 AM.
