Branham: “My evaluation process of Drake started with the John Wall event when he was a sophomore. And I didn’t get to see him live in person until the next John Wall tournament a year later when he was a junior. So I didn’t get to see that starting slow build. But I saw that first massive jump. And going from the first takeaway — this kid’s a top 75 player, he’s going to be able to contribute with his athleticism, his energy — to watching him dominate John Wall the second year. That confidence really shined and came through. And then the shotmaking, his ball handling. And he’s a really good passer, very selfless with the basketball, gets everybody involved. He’s a guy that can really drive and kick and set guys open for shots on the perimeter.

“So I saw that big jump. But then you continue to see from that point, you move on to April periods, playing with CP3, and then you see him continue with the small incremental improvements that he’s making in each and every single area. I watched his CP3 team so many times this year, and every single time you see him he’s doing something to impact the game.

“As we were going through our rankings process, people would claim his stats aren’t good enough. Well, if you watch the games really closely … yeah, his stats are great, but he’s impacting the game at an extremely high level in so many areas that don’t show up on a stat sheet. His defense and the way he impacts the game on that end, to making the right basketball plays, those don’t always show up on the stat sheet — he has a lot of hockey assists and things like that are creating organic offense. To me was always a huge separator, and then Peach Jam finally rolls around and it all clicks. And here we are today.

“Going to North Carolina next year, for a typical top five player in the class, you’re expecting a superstar. At least for my understanding of a top five player, you’re expecting the guy to come in and be a focal point. Drake’s just not a focal point player. He’s an elite complementary piece, a guy who can just do so many different things that contribute to winning to a basketball team. That, to me, is what makes him that top five player. He’s going to be a lockdown perimeter defender, he’s going to rebound, he’s gonna get out in transition, he’s gonna get into the paint and kick out to find shooters, and is gonna make an open shot. And then maybe occasionally he’ll go off for 15-16 points and that’s great. But that’s not what you’re bringing him in for. It’s everything else.”