Player profile
We'll start where we always begin, with Jerry Carino......
1. He’s a cousin of Raymond Felton
Hoop-heads certainly will recall Raymond Felton from his days as an All-American point guard and NCAA champion at North Carolina whose long NBA career included two stints with the New York Knicks. Jahseem’s uncle Jalek Felton was a coveted backcourt recruit who played one season at North Carolina. So the bloodlines are there.In a notable family twist, his father Michael Felton hails from Jersey.
“My dad is from Trenton, and growing up I always heard about historic runs Seton Hall had in March Madness," Jahseem said.
2. He was a middle-school prodigy
Ranking middle-school basketball players is a sketchy and controversial endeavor, but those who do such things have had Felton high on their national radar since he was a young lad growing up in Charlotte. He currently is rated three stars by Rivals, 247Sports and On3 and is a consensus top-150 prospect for 2024, with On3 ranking him highest at No. 120.He also fielded scholarship offers from N.C. State, South Carolina and Wake Forest and visited all three schools. For Seton Hall, assistant coach Rasheen Davis was the lead recruiter.
Felton took an official visit to Seton Hall Oct. 13-15 and had a conversation with head coach Shaheen Holloway that made an impression.
"My parents are always honest with me, always straight up; going there, it was like seeing family," he said. "(Holloway) said, ‘Listen, I’m not going to promise you minutes or promise you anything. If you come here and work you’ll get the minutes you deserve, and I will promise you a four-year education.' I can’t wait to come there and put that work in.”
3. Versatility a strength
Scouting reports on Felton’s game stress his versatility. He is listed by various recruiting services as a shooting guard, point guard and combo guard.“I’m a big combo guard – a dog on offense and defense," he said.
The North Carolina-based Phenom Hoop Report, which ranks him as the No. 10 Class of 2024 prospect in the hoops-rich state, wrote this about Felton in August:
“He is a 6’5 strong and physical guard that can really mix it up well, plays with a smooth feel and pace, and was able to help run the show. Felton was able to score in a variety of ways, whether it was creating and knocking down shots from the perimeter, making strong moves to get to his spots to score, or finishing strong through defenders and around the basket."
HS Mixtape (junior year)
Words from the coach....
"I'm excited to add these two student-athletes to our program," Holloway said. (Jahseem Felton AND Godswill Erheriene) "These are two young men that we targeted in the recruiting process and we knew that they could help us right away. They come from great high school programs and great families."
A talented guard with New Jersey roots – his father hails from Trenton – Felton attends Combine Academy in Charlotte, N.C., a team that is currently ranked as the No. 17 high school basketball team in the country according to ESPN. Rated as a four-star recruit by On3 and the No. 24 combo guard in the class of 2024 according to 247 Sports, Felton averaged 17.5 points per game on the Under Armour circuit and 20.5 points per game in the Peach Invitational Tournament on the AAU circuit.
"Jahseem is a big point guard at 6-5," Holloway said. "He can shoot it, handle it and can get to the basket. Overall, he has a great feel for the game."
At the time of the signing (late October '23) it was expected that Felton would get major minutes at both guard positions. But now with the 1-2 (and 3) positions the strength of the current roster the question is where with the 3 star player fit in? Holloway as is his want will start with a clean stales regarding PT. But will the inexperienced young guard carve out the minutes he wants?
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