Jalek Felton is done with college basketball. He’s taking another path

Jalek Felton won’t finish his college basketball career after all.

The former Gray Collegiate standout has signed to play professionally in Slovenia with Petrol Olympic basketball, the club announced Friday.

“I am happy to join a club like Petrol Olimpija,” Felton said in a statement. “This is a club with a rich tradition, where many NBA players have begun their careers. For me, this is a big step. I know that this will be a great challenge for me and I am ready to go there and work. The agent told me that Olimpija will play in various competitions and that makes me pleased. Playing in such competitions with Olimpija in Europe will prepare me for playing in the NBA. The city looks nice and I heard that basketball there is a religion, so this will be an interesting experience.”

Felton’s signing ends months of speculation on where he would play next. In May, he announced he would be making his college choice. If he had chosen college, he would have to sit out a year because of NCAA rules.

South Carolina was one of the schools who showed interest in Felton, along with Georgetown, Clemson, and St. John’s.

On March 1, Felton withdrew from the University of North Carolina. The school suspended the former SC Gatorade Player of the Year, and he wasn’t able to participate in any university activities. Because of federal privacy laws, that is the extent to which UNC said it could comment.

Felton played in 22 games this season for UNC and averaged 2.9 points and 1.6 assists per game. He had a season-high 15 points against Western Carolina on Dec. 6.

Felton is one of two Americans on the roster, with the other Marvin Jones of Texas Southern.

“Jalek Felton is the next player brought to the Petrol Olympics,” Petrol coach Zoran Martic said in a release. “He comes from the famous North Carolina basketball university. Everyone in the club wants us to show our talent in the coming months and help the team’s good results. “

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 10:51 AM.