UNC Freshmen Arrive to Start College Careers as Hoops Heels
North Carolina’s three incoming freshmen basketball players have arrived in Chapel Hill.
The long-awaited careers of Ian Jackson and Drake Powell, in particular, as well as James Brown, began Wednesday. They will now take part in all team offseason activities and begin building toward the 2024-25 campaign.
Jackson, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who can play both wing spots, concluded his prep career as the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2024. He is No. 4 at his position. He committed to UNC a year ago in January, and signed last November.
“Just to come in and be myself,” Jackson said, when asked what the coaches want from him upon arriving at UNC. “Show every aspect of my game from shooting the three, to posting up, passing, defending, blocking, just going in and be myself. Not trying to be something else as a player, but just living up to who I am.”
Powell has made the short trip to the Smith Center many times, but now he did so as an actual Tar Heel.
The No. 14 overall prospect in the class of 2024, the 6-foot-6 wing had a pretty good idea all along where he wanted to attend college. It was UNC all the way. Now, he’s there.
“I grew up watching a lot of great players go through North Carolina,” he said. “So, to be a part of it I knew in my mind after my official visit that I was going to commit."
Powell was at nearly all of UNC's home games last season and is already quite familiar with the players.
Brown is the big man of the class, in that he’s 6-foot-10, and he also knew a long time ago this is where he wanted to play and attend college. The No. 97 overall prospect in the class of 2024, Brown has been graded as a center, where he ranks as the 11th-best at his position nationally.
He will now get to experience what he’s been looking for from Carolina Coach Hubert Davis.
"One of the things that stood out about watching Coach Davis coach is that fire, and that passion, and that energy that he coaches with,” Brown said. “I could see it as something that helps me when I might not be playing my best, or I make a couple of mistakes and maybe it's in my head. So just seeing how he believes in his guys that's something that's big for me, and something that definitely stood apart."
The trio joins a roster that has eight other scholarship players, including Ven-Allen Lubin and Cade Tyson, both of whom came in from the transfer portal from Vanderbilt and Belmont, respectively.
Six other Tar Heels from this past season's team are back: RJ Davis; Elliot Cadeau; Jalen Washington; Jae'Lyn Withers; Seth Trimble; and Zayden High. UNC has 11 players on scholarship.
The Tar Heels open the 2024-25 season November 4 at home against Elon.