Weber State men’s basketball has added another young big man ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Alex Tew, a 6-foot-11 freshman center, signed to play for Weber State on Thursday.

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Tew is a native of Cheshire, England, and played a post-prep basketball season at Cooper International Academy in California. Tew was named MVP of the Prep Elite Conference’s pandemic-shortened season this year. He will be 20 years old when the upcoming season begins.

Highlights show Tew possessing agile feet, a soft touch and a decent feel for playing the post, as well as a developing 3-point shot and decent handle.

In his final season playing in England (2019-20), he averaged 18 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks over 12 games, according to English basketball writer Dave Owen. According to a release from WSU, Tew averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game in his short season at Cooper Academy.

Both Tew and freshman Dyson Koehler, the latter a Salt Lake City native transferring from Cal Poly, were announced as signees Friday.

“Alex has excellent size, a physical body with great hands and feet, and has a good feel for the game,” WSU head coach Randy Rahe said in a statement. “He only started playing at age 15 so he is young in the game but has a good skill level and sees the floor very well. He has a terrific upside to how good he can be.”

Tew bolsters the future of the frontcourt for Weber State, which returns three senior big men and the Big Sky freshman of the year in Dillon Jones for the upcoming season.

From the 2020-21 team that went 17-6, WSU has lost two players to graduation (Isiah Brown, Kham Davis) and two to transfer (Darweshi Hunter, Tavian Percy), while adding four players (Koby McEwen, JJ Overton, Dyson Koehler and Tew).

Tew’s addition takes Weber State to 13 scholarship players, the usual limit — though WSU could carry additional scholarship players due to temporary changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams can carry extra scholarships equal to the number of seniors playing a second senior season. That limit returns to 13 for the 2022-23 season.

Below is a look at how the roster currently stands, with positions indicated by a number in parentheses. WSU currently has nine returning players and four newcomers.

Seniors: Dontay Bassett (4/5), Cody Carlson (4/5), Michal Kozak (4), Koby McEwen (1/2), JJ Overton (3)

Juniors: David Nzekwesi (5), Zahir Porter (2/3)

Sophomores: KJ Cunningham (1/2), Donatas Kupsas (4), Seikou Sisoho Jawara (1/2)

Freshmen: Dillon Jones (3/4), Dyson Koehler (3/4), Alex Tew (5)