Jalek Felton - UNC

10 years ago Raymond Felton was leading the Tar Heel fast break for the 2005 National Champions. Almost 10 years later, another Felton is on his way to Chapel Hill. Five-star sophomore Jalek Felton and Raymond’s nephew, made public his decision to follow in the family foot-steps to Chapel Hill. Despite being three years away from setting foot on the Dean Dome floor, the Felton commitment provided a ray of light to the UNC fan base.

While Raymond was a pure point guard, his nephew Jalek is currently known as a combo guard although he possesses some of the best passing skills in the high school game. At 6’3”, Felton is currently ranked No. 6 in the sophomore class by Scout.com and was named to the MaxPreps All-Freshman Second Team last year after averaging 21.9 points per game for Mullins (S.C.) High. This year, Jalek has boosted his scoring numbers and recently scored 51 points in the famed Beach Ball Classic.

In the last week of the 2013 July recruiting period, UNC head coach Roy Williams veered away from his primary targets in the 2013 and 2014 classes to take in a few viewings of Felton, despite the fact that he had just finished the eighth grade.  Felton later attended the 2013 “Late Night With Roy” with friend and fellow UNC target Harry Giles. After countless visits to the Dean Dome this past summer to play and watch pick-up, Felton received the one scholarship he coveted in mid-November and committed just over a month later.

With the academic scandal hanging over the UNC program like a black cloud, there is no doubt that recruiting has taken a hit recently. The Tar Heels have struck out on the majority of their top targets in 2015 and only have three-star forward Luke Maye locked up. They are heavily involved with numerous five-star recruits in 2016, but for Tar Heel fans it is at least nice to know that they have locked up one of the most talented guards in the 2017 class.

Right now, Jalek is an athletic combo guard that can finish above the rim and also hit from well beyond the three point line. While he can score, Felton can also make plays for teammates. During October, Felton was invited to the USA Developmental Camp in Colorado Springs and impressed with his natural passing ability. With two and a half years left to develop there is no doubt that Jalek should be able to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and contribute from Day 1. He might even be able to get his jersey next to Raymond’s in the rafters.

Strengths:

·         -Size and athleticism

·         -Scoring ability, lots of backspin on his outside shot

·         -Ball-handling and passing ability

Improvement Areas:

·         -Killer instinct – Felton can sometimes play too passive and not take advantage of his scoring ability

·         -Outside shot – Good range and spin, but shoots a set-shot from three with a wind-up motion

·         -Turnovers – Can sometimes get too fancy with passes and needs to tighten up moves in the half-court set