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Much sought-after 7-footer Keiner Asprilla (34) is at St.Peter's Prep where he has joined fellow junior Richie Rosa (2) and coach Alex Mirabel to solidfy strong Marauders after playing at Don Bosco Prep last winter. Also at a new school is Jayden Holman (12) who has switched from Arts to Linden, while former Newark Tech freshman star Tyshaun Boyd (5) is now at Arts which is his third high school in as many years. Meanwhile, in the college ranks, Jim Larranaga has resigned at the University of Miami while citing his distaste for tranfer portal and impact of NIL money. One of the transfer subjects of nearly four decades ago was Luther Wright (50) who played collegiately at Seton Hall. (SC photos and by Gene Nann, Jeff Stiefbold and courtesy of yahoo sports)
A 1990 proclamation from the city that once produced comedian Jerry Lewis honored Luther Wright of Irvington as a member of the Elizabeth basketball team, which may not have been a watershed moment concerning a changing landscape in Garden State high school sports; however, it was a significant item among many discussed as part of a show about scholastic transfers that aired on a WNET Channel 13 program called ‘Caucus: New Jersey.”
Wright, who actually began his scholastic career with coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony, was one of the early New Jersey hoopsters – before the current trend - to play for more than one high school.
Also discussed on the show that aired 35 years ago were topics such as the 1989 St. Benedict’s soccer team, which had at least two star-quality players who originally emanated from towns far from the borders of Newark, N.J. The Gray Bees would soon make the decision to leave the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and would not to return as a member school in the statewide high school sports organization until this past January in the midst of the 2023-2024 school year.
One of the interviewees in the 1990 Caucus: New Jersey show was Weequahic’s legendary basketball coach Les Fein, who met with producers from the program at his diet center in Livingston. He talked openly about his famous 1966-67 Weequahic Indian hoopsters who were led by then future USC and Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis ‘Mo’ Layton, and also included other key performers such as center Dana Lewis, who had moved to Newark with his mom from New York City, and a former Lincoln of Jersey City standout guard Billy Mainor, who transferred to Weequahic for his final two years and would then go on to excel for Digger Phelps’ terrific 1970-71 Fordham squad that launched the coach’s career.
P.J. Carlesimo, a guard on that memorable Fordham team, would later coach Wright at Seton Hall University before the troubled 7-foot center left for a brief and tumultuous career in the NBA. Students playing for public school teams in towns or cities other than where they don’t reside is nothing anyone is surprised at any more and the trend of players changing schools once or perhaps twice during their scholastic careers simply continues.
Shabazz all-state defensive back Omari Gaines played at both Pope John and St. Peter’s Prep before spending his final two years at Shabazz. Current Arts High basketball forward Tyshaun Boyd played for Group 1 state runner-up in Newark Tech as a freshman in the 2022-2023 season before taking advantage of the NJSIAA’s ‘one free transfer’ rule for underclassmen as he returned to his hometown of Orange to play for the Tornadoes in both football and basketball last year. Now, he is completing a 3-week period required by the NJSIAA for a second transfer, or for seniors transferring, as he will soon be hitting the hardwood at Arts High in Newark where the Jaguars are considered one of the prime favorites in Group 1.
A list of New Jersey basketball transfers recently published on nj.com is a long one for sure, and includes stars such as last season’s Sideline Chatter Essex County Player of the Year Chidi Nwigwe, who left 2024 Essex County Tournament champion St. Benedict’s to play for Sunrise Christian in Kansas.
Montclair Immaculate’s 2023-2024 sophomore star Kole Grandison has moved on to Overtime Elite in Georgia.
Another Immaculate player from last season, junior Cortlin Siska, is now at Bethel Academy in Virginia, which is his third high school in three years.
Also, among those switching schools here in the Garden State include much-sought-after 7-foot center Keiner Asprilla at St. Peter’s Prep, who has switched to the Jersey City Jesuit school from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey where he had helped current Rutgers star Dylan Harper and the Ironmen emerge as New Jersey’s No. 1 high school hoops squad last season.
Junior Jayden Holman, a starting guard at Arts last season, now starts in the backcourt for first-year coach Mike Rice at Linden.
Another standout guard Mejwad Dixon has moved within the Brick City from Newark Central to Newark Collegiate.
One Essex County school which is not a power laden hoops program, per se, but has certainly shown considerable promise at the under-levels the last two seasons by winning the ECT freshmen championship two seasons ago, and the ECT jayvee title last winter, has seen four key members of that current junior class transfer to new schools this year with 2-year Mounties varsity starter Tom Diomedi at St. Joe’s of Montvale, Merrick Olkowski at St. Mary’s of Rutherford, Jayvon Rogers at Columbia and Bashir Lucas at East Orange Campus.
The fairly recent, more relaxed NJSIAA rules in place regarding transfers do not involve any mandated requirements regarding residency in a particular public school district. Any ensuing action that may occur regarding those who may live in towns other than where they currently attend a public school is really up to individual town or city school districts to address.
For example, there was the firing of Elizabeth football coach John Fiore who was removed from his post this past September for allegedly violating a school district policy regarding the residency involving his son, John Jr., who the Elizabeth Board of Education ruled illegally attended Elizabeth High School and had played the first two games as a non-resident.
Under current NJSIAA regulations, there is no longer any residency requirement for student-athletes attending any high school that is outside their current hometown’s district.
Fiore is fighting the decision made by Elizabeth schools and is being represented by two different law firms, one – John Rue & Associates of Princeton – which is addressing the residency question, and a second – Steven Farsiou of Flemington – who is working to help Fiore regain his post as Elizabeth’s head coach.
What New Jersey high schools are now experiencing with the on-going drama and upheaval created with transfers has already adversely affected college sports.
The massive changes and player movement among NCAA schools since Covid-19, through the transfer portal, and with NIL money, has drastically lessened the appeal of college sports.
Jim Larranaga, who had been coaching at Miami University the past 14 years, and guided the Hurricanes to a Final 4 appearance in 2023, suddenly recently resigned while citing the difficulties dealing with NIL in college sports today as players keep moving from college to college, frequently chasing more NIL money somewhere else.
In the meantime, any allegiance to seeing it through at one’s originally intended future alma mater, has gone by the board.
The University of Virginia’s Tony Bennett, another very successful coach with 15 years guiding the Cavaliers, retired just before the start of the current college hoops season.
While New Jersey’s high schools don’t have any official portal, the frequency of the unappealing - and still growing trend of transfers continues to have an immense impact and threatens the core appeal of scholastic sports.
It’s now 35 years since Luther Wright was honored by the city of Irvington for being a member of the Elizabeth High School basketball team. Meanwhile, St. Benedict’s is back as an NJSIAA member, and with its share of international students who certainly bolster hopes in sports such as soccer, basketball and baseball. Weequahic’s legendary Les Fein has since passed to that big basketball court up above, and Newark public school basketball teams continue to experience their own version of frequent transfers, and with the added impact of charter schools now very much in the mix, which is another subject altogether.
Meanwhile, “The Transfer Locomotive Train’ continues along its merry way across the proverbial railroad tracks of America, and while it is apparently here to stay, the trip certainly has its continual number of potential derailments, both literally and figuratively.
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Highly-rated national prep prospect Chidi Nwigwe (24), seen in action at St. Benedict's last season while leading the Gray Bees to Essex County Tournament title, is now at Sunrise Christian in Kansas, while former Montclair starter Tom Diomedi, who was part of a strong class with the Mounties, is now at St. Joe's of Montvale. One of the impact transfers of yesteryear was Billy Mainor who went from Lincoln in Jersey City to be key cog for national power Weequahic in late 1960s before fine career at Fordham U. (SC photo and by Gene Nann and courtesy of Lincon High) copyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - to comment contact the webmaster
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