What makes them great: 'Big 4' recruits Drake Powell, Juke Harris, Isaiah Evans, and Paul McNeil Jr. are hometown heroes
North Carolina's ACC schools, long called "the Big Four" each have their own treasured basketball histories in a state that's produced some of the best names in the sport.
But as trends in men's basketball recruiting have changed over the years, it's hard to present the last time the Big Four had arguably the best four in-state, public school players.
This is for three reasons. First, the shift for high school boys basketball players to transfer out of public school into private schools or sports training academies has long been around. (In fact, more and more players are eschewing private institutions and simply playing for a non-scholastic team under a different banner than wherever they are taking classes collectively.)
The second is that there aren't as many annual scholarships available in basketball recruiting — that was true pre-transfer portal, and is perhaps more pronounced in this day, depending on a coach's offseason strategy.
Lastly, it comes down to Duke. The Blue Devils have rarely landed the in-state public school talent, with Kinston's Brandon Ingram and Broughton's Shavlik Randolph the most recent and notable exceptions.
But this has all changed this year, the last high school run for the talented class of 2024. It's not only given more attention to public school basketball from fans of the Big Four, but also new life into N.C. High School Athletic Association season.
The class of 2024, depending on the recruiting ranking you're using, has up to six players in the top 100. That doesn't include Word of God's Jayden Quaintance, who is not from North Carolina but has transferred from Ohio to Arizona to Raleigh, and it doesn't include Jarin Stevenson, who would've been in the class but graduated a year early from Seaforth to enroll at Alabama.
There are two others who consistently rank in the top 100, Myers Park's Sir Mohammed and Bishop Boswell, have committed to Notre Dame and Tennessee, respectively. But for the purposes of this article, we'll focus on the Big Four teams' incoming class.
For N.C. State, they've signed Paul McNeil Jr. from Richmond.
For North Carolina, they've got Drake Powell from just down the road at Northwood.
Wake Forest has signed Salisbury's Juke Harris.
Duke has Isaiah Evans, who like Powell is a McDonald's All-American, from North Mecklenburg.
The last time the Big Four had four recruits from NCHSAA schools was back in 2002: Duke had Randolph on the way, North Carolina was bringing in David Noel from Southern Durham, Wake Forest had McDonald's All-American Eric Williams from what is now Wake Forest High, and N.C. State had Adam Simons from Williams. But Noel (despite eventually playing in the NBA) was a walk-on his first year, Simons was not nationally-regarded, and although UNC did bring in Asheville's Rashad McCants and N.C. State also had Greensboro's Cam Bennerman in this same class, both played their senior years at out-of-state prep schools.
So the last real time this all really happened — four different schools, four top recruits, all attending public school? According to longtime high school sports writer Alex Bass, it's 1986.
That list included Duke's Robert Brickey from E.E. Smith, UNC's Marty Hensley from McDowell County, Wake Forest's Ralph Kitley from North Rowan, and N.C. State's Brian Howard from North Forsyth. The group entered college accomplished on the court — both Brickey and Kitley had played for titles, with Kitley the MVP of his game. They exited that way as well: Brickey with three Final Fours and Howard to the NBA. (Kitley is also connected to the ACC today: his daughter Elizabeth has won two ACC Player of the Year awards at Virginia Tech.)
It was a different time for high school basketball in 1986, and even so in more recent years.
Who could forget that a 2001 regular season game between Leesville Road and Broughton, highlighted by two McDonald's All-Americans and multiple ACC players, had to be moved to Reynolds Coliseum and played in front of 12,400 fans?
Sell-out crowds happen all the time, but 12,400 for two public schools?
The scattering of talent has hampered a recreation of such a scene.
But these four — Powell, Harris, McNeil Jr., and Evans — have captured lighting in a bottle 38 years later. Each has their own local following and a Big Four fan interest. If any were to make it to Winston-Salem to play for an NCHSAA championship this year, it could make for some of the largest crowds in recent memories.
Four stars.
Four different public schools.
Four different college destinations.
Four hometown heroes.
Below, we go over what makes each one great, going over their careers and what they'll bring to Tobacco Road next year.
Isaiah Evans, North Mecklenburg — Duke
His journey: Evans is from Fayetteville originally but has only been at North Mecklenburg since high school, and most notably played JV his freshman year. This doesn't mean he was a late bloomer — word of mouth spread quickly that the Vikings had an unbelievable player coming up, and he was a known quantity before his sophomore year.
Crowning moment: Evans' signature moment happened in last year's fourth round (elite eight) of the NCHSAA playoffs when he scored 62 in an overtime win against Chambers, including the buzzer-beating 3-pointer. He seemed to have Gatorade Player of the Year wrapped up, but instead it went to Stevenson.
His game: At 6-foot-7, Evans — fittingly nicknamed "Slim" as he's listed as low as 170 pounds (but also as high as 190) — has always had physical comparisons to the last Duke recruit from an NCHSAA school, Brandon Ingram. And, like Ingram, he's a gifted scorer and dead-eye shooter. He wastes no time in his release from deep and flashes footwork when catching it on the block or short corner. What most don't see, however, he's also quick to keep the ball moving and is an impressive passer.
His style: Evans has an eternal chip on the shoulder. Always playing to a packed crowd on the road, he can find one comment from one student — maybe a kid yells "overrated" at him, maybe it's worse than that or something simpler — and it's like pouring gasoline over his internal fire. If Cooper Flagg is the favorite to get all of the "Duke hate" next year, Evans will want some of it thrown his way too.
HSOT links to highlights, accolades, and more:
- Named McDonald's All-AmericanHighlights: scoring 35 earlier this season vs. Mallard Creek
- Committing to Duke
- HSOT 2023 all-state team (first team)
- Scoring 62 in double-OT in "elite eight"
- Interview: I think other teams in the state know we're coming
- HSOT 2022 all-state team (second team)
Juke Harris, Salisbury — Wake Forest
His journey: Harris burst onto the scene as a sophomore who averaged 19.8 points per game and paired well with senior Cameron Stout to give Salisbury a deadly 1-2 punch. The Hornets won 20 games that year and haven't looked back.
Crowning moment: Before the year began, Harris wanted to be Rowan County's all-time leading scorer. It meant something to him to go past former McDonald's All-American Scooter Sherrill of West Rowan. He did that just last week.
His game: Harris scores in bunches as well as anyone in the state, a threat from 3-point range who heats up easily, and then attacks the rim and has a deft finishing touch. He's also used at the top of the Hornets' full-court press and, with his long arms at 6-foot-7, disrupts the opponent. There aren't too many games this year that Harris and the Hornets haven't closed by halftime, making his 30.6 points per game impressive because they're mostly all scored in three quarters.
His style: Where Evans continually feasts on the comments of others, Harris works quickly and quietly. There is no wasted motion or movement — you're under a relentless but incredibly controlled and efficient attack when he gets hot.
HSOT links to highlights, accolades, and more:
- Highlights: Scoring 41 vs. Cuthbertson (Dec. 2023)
- Sit-down interview: plans for his senior year & Wake Forest
- HSOT 2023 all-state team (first team)
- Committing to Wake Forest
- Scoring 33 vs. North Rowan as a sophomore (2022)
Drake Powell, Northwood — North Carolina
His journey: Powell was one of three freshmen to help the Chargers to the NCHSAA 3A title game as a freshman. One of those was Stevenson, who was reassigned to Seaforth when it opened their senior year and Stevenson's mom and dad were hired as assistant and head coach. Powell said there were enticements made to leave his school, but he would've missed his community, family, and friends. It's not uncommon to see him supporting other Northwood athletics teams when it's not basketball season.
Crowning moment: Powell has a few options, but it's hard to take a team to the state championship, and Powell is the only player on this list to have done it twice, finishing runner-up as a freshman and junior.
His game: No other player on this list has shown more "two-way" potential. (Of course basketball was meant to be played two ways, but projecting some players on the defensive end is difficult.) He's a terrific defender who matches up against speed, height, and strength. He's also a great finisher at the rim and efficient when he shoots, but won't hesitate to move to ball to find an open teammate.
His style: Long-armed (like the rest) and strong (like Harris), Powell takes on the top defensive challenge each night. He's not a volume shooter, part of which is attributed to Northwood's style and part of it to his unselfishness. Because of this, no player on this list might be more comfortable falling into a specific role as quickly next season. As a freshman, Powell would — like Evans — play to the crowd (a smaller crowd due to the pandemic) — but he's grown into a different kind of player only worried about his team.
HSOT links to highlights, accolades, and more:
- Highlights: 23 points vs. No. 1 Myers Park
- Named McDonald's All-American
- Highlights vs. Terry Sanford (2023 playoffs)
- HSOT Player of the Year (2023)
- HSOT 2023 all-state team (first team)
- Scoring his 1,000th point
- Committing to UNC
- HSOT 2022 all-state team (second team)
- Top play: In-and-out dribble shakes defender, ends in an and-one
Paul McNeil Jr., Richmond — N.C. State
His journey: McNeil Jr. turned heads his freshman year with the Raiders, and so began the process of putting Richmond on the map for hoops. He's won Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore and broken the NCHSAA record for points in a game as a senior (71). His journey includes two times where he thought he wouldn't be finishing his high school career in Richmond, but each time he came back. His junior year, he moved to California to play for a non-scholastic team, Prolific Prep, but moved back home after two games (per NCHSAA rules, he had to sit out two contests that year) and after his junior year he announced a transfer to Word of God in Raleigh but quickly reneged. Back in Richmond, he has the Raiders in position to go back to the state title.
Crowning moment: Getting to the state championship game as a senior, with half of the lower bowl at the Dean Smith Center wearing yellow Richmond shirts with "P2" on it (Paul wears jersey No. 2), was a special scene. It was Richmond's first finals appearance in almost two decades.
His game: McNeil is a dead-eye shooter whose body control allows him to get a number of "and-one" opportunities. His underrated part of his game is his passing. One of his best traits happens when he doesn't have the ball, always cutting and moving to free himself.
His style: Of these three, McNeil plays above-the-rim the least, relying on angles and his quick footwork to get free. He plays at a faster pace than the other three, pushing the pace at all times. You'd think he forces shots given his scoring abilities, but in the Raiders' offense, he's as much of a facilitator as anyone else and lets the game come to him.
HSOT links to highlights, accolades, and more:
- Scoring his 2,000th point
- Breaking the NCHSAA single-game scoring record
- Highlights vs. Jordan (Dec. 2023)
- Highlights vs. Myers Park (Nov. 2023)
- HSOT 2023 all-state team (first team)
- N.C. Basketball Coaches Association POTY (2023)
- Committing to N.C. State
- Gatorade POTY (2022)
- HSOT 2022 all-state team (first team)
- Coming back to Richmond
