North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams announced the signing of four new players to National Letters of Intent on Monday. The freshman class of 2017 consists of combo guard Jalek Felton — the nephew of former Tar Heels star Raymond Felton — forwards Brandon Huffman and Sterling Manley and shooting guard Andrew Platek. The 6-foot-4 Felton currently attends Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia, S.C., after spending the previous three years at Mullins High. He is a five-star prospect who, like his uncle, is equally adept at scoring as he is at creating offensive opportunities for others. “Jalek is a young man we have known forever it seems like,” Williams said. “He has good genes to say the least. He’s an offensive player who can do just about everything. He can pass, he can shoot, he can penetrate. He’ll help us as a point guard. He’s the kind of young man who can come in and really help us do some things because he’s a complete offensive player. Huffman, at 6-9, 235 pounds, is a four-star power forward from Alaska who came all the way across the country to play for Raleigh’s Word of God Academy this season. He chose the Tar heels over UConn, Baylor, Georgia and ACC rivals Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. “He’s a big kid, he’s got the body,” Williams said. “(Strength and conditioning coordinator) Jonas (Sahratian) always says ‘You can’t sculpt a pebble.’ Well, he’s not getting a pebble in Brandon. His future is really bright. His potential is really high. “He’s not a smooth player yet, but he has a wonderful attitude, will work extremely hard and every time I see him play he’s better than what I saw the previous time.” Manley, a 6-10, 230 Ohio native, impressed Williams and his staff with his length, athletic ability, low post instincts and defense. He is only rated as a three-star prospect, but that have might have more to do with the fact that he missed most of his junior season and all of the summer travel circuit because of injury. He and Huffman address an immediate need for big men with current starters Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks both set to graduate after the 2016-17 season. “Sterling had two broken legs in about a six-month time period and played only 11 or 12 games his junior year,” Williams sid. “He has the body, passes the look test. He’s another guy who has a tremendous upside.” Platek, meanwhile, is a 6-4 3-point shooting specialist who plays for Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Mass., who Williams compared favorably to his former Kansas player and assistant coach Jerod Haase. “If he works out as well as Jerod that would be great,” Williams said of the three-star shooting guard. “A very bright kid, who has the toughness I really like. I think he’ll be the kind of kid who can make shots but he is also a gym rat and will do everything we ask him to do.”
