College Prospect Spotlight: UNC Asheville's Drew Pember
The college basketball season continues to inch closer to its conclusion, as teams around the country look to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. As this happens, the best players at the collegiate level prove themselves as quality pieces that have NBA upside.
There's always a handful of college players who don't get as much national attention as they deserve, but are incredible players that could make an impact at the next level. This is especially true for prospects at smaller schools.
For this week’s spotlight, we take a look at UNC Asheville forward Drew Pember, who has legitimate NBA talent.
Drew Pember (Forward | UNC Asheville Bulldogs)
6'11” | 215 lbs
Season Stats: 21.0 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 3.5 APG | 1.0 BPG | 36.0% 3PT
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Background
Originally from Knoxville, Pember started his college career close to home with the Tennessee Volunteers, but ended up transferring to UNC Asheville after two seasons in the SEC with a very limited role. This ultimately was a great move for him, as it allowed him to play significant minutes in the Big South and evolve into the player he is today.
It's been a three-year career with the Bulldogs to this point, where the 6-foot-11 forward has earned high honors. Not only did Pember win Big South Player of the Year last season, but he's also won the Big South Defensive Player of the Year award twice during his career. While he doesn't play at one of the high major schools that gets significant national attention, he's absolutely dominating his competition.
Pember comes from an athletic family, with a mother who played volleyball and a father who played basketball at Carson-Newman University.
NBA Upside
Although Pember is an older prospect who will have turned 24 years old just before the 2024 NBA Draft, his talent and production are well worth a look in the second round. At 6-foot-11, he leverages his length to be effective on both ends of the floor as a true two-way talent. He also plays a very modern style, which has a clear path to translating at the next level.
Again, he's been named the conference's top defensive player twice in his career and just last season was the Big South's best player. Pember has blocked 2.5 shots per game over the past three seasons with UNC Asheville and is a legitimate rim protector.
On the offensive end, he's a reliable floor spacer for his size, knocking down 36% of his triples in the 2023-24 campaign and 38% the season prior. This is also on significant volume, as he's taken roughly five per game from deep this season specifically. He's also a phenomenal free throw shooter, which speaks to his shooting mechanics, focus and ability to translate the jumper at the NBA level. Pember's scoring production is extremely impressive, notching 21 points per game in each of the last two seasons. The fifth-year college player is also a tremendous passer for a big, notching a 25% assist rate this season which is ridiculous at 6-foot-11.
On both ends of the floor, what really sticks out is Pember's fluidity for his size. Not only does he move well in space on the defensive end and has the ability to step out and guard frontcourt players away from the basket, but this is also very impressive on the offensive end as he navigates opposing defenses with the ball in his hands. Pember can score off the catch on the perimeter or in the post, but he's also capable of putting the ball on the deck and creating for himself.
Pember has earned an 11.5 C-RAM (Gold Rating) from Cerebro Sports this season, en route to an 84 PSP and 87 DSI which speaks to his two-way impact. Any team that is willing to take on an older prospect that fits the modern NBA could land a quality player in Pember who could end up being an interesting reserve tool at that level.
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