Transfer Watch: New Faces Crossing State Lines

The New Jersey high school basketball offseason has brought plenty of roster movement, especially over the past few weeks as the summer draws to a close. With fall ball quickly approaching, the state's high school landscape continues to solidify itself, with several prospects transferring to new schools and finding new homes. As more late summer moves have unfolded, let's take a closer look at some of the latest roster changes across the high school basketball scene over the past couple of weeks, particularly from prospects transferring from out of state programs.    At his best in a unique role that highlights a distinctive combination of efficient off ball perimeter shooting paired with hints of facilitation as a ball handler, [player_tooltip player_id='2234118' first='Kelly' last='Griffin Jr.'] will be counted on to fill a significant void in the backcourt for this substantially new look St. Benedict's program. Griffin Jr. stands out with his confident and efficient perimeter shot making profile— finding success as a spot up shooter stepping into in rhythm looks, balanced footwork converting on movement opportunities, and even using his quickness off the bounce to create space. His ability to generate and convert on quality attempts without forcing the issue translates to efficient shooting percentages, a component that should be pivotal to this St. Benedict's group of guards' success throughout the season. All while still providing plenty of impact as an instinctive and willing distributor and keen offensive initiator, keeping the ball moving and finding his teammates open and getting his teammates organized in offensive sets.     A complimentary scoring guard who picks his spots well without necessarily forcing the action, [player_tooltip player_id='2879138' first='Avian' last='Rodriguez'] figures to be natural fit amongst a group of Patrick School guards who provide extremely steady guard play. Playing under control and remaining poised off the bounce remain hallmarks of Rodriguez's skillset— pushing the tempo for elusive finishes in traffic, seeking out driving angles when attacking closeouts and taking advantage of defensive rotations, stepping into in rhythm looks out on the perimeter, and even creating separation with his quickness off the bounce for scoring chances from different areas on the floor. All while being an instinctive decision maker and keeping his vision on drives.     What should be a really strong fit not only with the need for a strong front court presence but also his unique skillset as a legitimate inside outside threat, [player_tooltip player_id='3700793' first='Aleksandar' last='Kovacevic'] should bring extreme value to this Saint Mary group heading into this season. Much of Kovacevic's value comes from the unique dimension he brings as an extremely versatile big, particularly with his combination of size and skill making him a difficult matchup, allowing him to consistently impact the game as a legitimate inside out threat— suppling incredibly impactful floor spacing mixed with plenty of value around the basket with his finishing ability in the low post area.     An undersized playmaking guard who plays with a noticeable level of grit and toughness, [player_tooltip player_id='2780662' first='Aaden' last='Walters'] balances overall playmaking and defensive tenacity to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Confident in his decision making ability to make a lot of the right reads as a high usage ball handler, Walters generates paint touches for a mixture of crafty in traffic finishes and dunker spot dump offs coupled with smooth mid range pull ups and perimeter shot making out of different actions. Figured to shoulder a lot of the ball handling responsibilities, creating offense for himself alongside setting his teammates up for quality looks, [player_tooltip player_id='2780662' first='Aaden' last='Walters'] should have plenty of opportunities to showcase what his impact looks like as an overall playmaking guard.     Projected to provide an overall balanced scoring pop with the simplicity and efficiency he scores the basketball with, [player_tooltip player_id='2297131' first='Clinton' last='McCants'] is another guard new to this Patrick School program who should slide comfortably into a backcourt anchored by a group of dependable and steady guards. A lot of McCants' value lies in his perimeter shooting ability, more often than not showcasing efficiency and versatility as a perimeter shot maker who can easily settle into a rhythm offensively. Possessing some good athletic tools, particularly with the burst in his first step off the bounce, McCants has the ability to counter that shooting gravity with a mixture of rim finishes and mid range pull ups, ultimately suppling an overall well balanced scoring attack.

The New Jersey high school basketball offseason has brought plenty of roster movement, especially over the past few weeks as the summer draws to a close. With fall ball quickly approaching, the state's high school landscape continues to solidify itself, with several prospects transferring to new schools and finding new homes. As more late summer moves have unfolded, let's take a closer look at some of the latest roster changes across the high school basketball scene over the past couple of weeks, particularly from prospects transferring from out of state programs.