Roselle Catholic Transfer Has Received Offers from 7 D1 Schools
NORTH EDISON, NJ—While junior Jaquan Harris has been piling up D1 offers, and senior teammate Tristian Jeffries has committed to D1 mid-major Robert Morris of the Horizon League, class of 2022 wing, Josh Rivera, a transfer from Roselle Catholic, has also been attracting D1 interest. A 6’7” junior, Rivera, who played freshman ball at J.P. Stevens, recently received an offer from Drexel University of the Colonial Athletic Association.
To date, Rivera has received offers from nine D1 schools including Drexel, Stetson, and Bryant. Originally in the Class of 2021, Rivera reclassified to the class of 2022. He also decided to join Harris and Jeffries on the NY Jayhawks AAU. Rivera transferred to Aquinas in early February 2020, and wasn’t eligible to play for the Trojans in both the GMC and State Tournaments last season.
During the off-season, Rivera had two solid efforts against Archbishop Wood and Imhotep Charter School on October 25, 2020. In those two games, he averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 assists per game. He made 15 of 26 shots including 14 of 21 from two point range, 6 of 9 from the foul line, and had three dunks.
As a sophomore at Roselle Catholic, Rivera played in 13 games, made 19 two point field goals, three treys, and 4 foul shots for a total of 72 points, or an average of 5.5 points per game during the 2018-19 season. Before transferring to Aquinas last year, Rivera played in 9 games for the Lions, and made 11 two point field goals, three treys, and 6 foul shots for a total of 37 points along with 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
In 22 career games at RC, Rivera scored 109 points for an average of just under 5 points per game. With the departures of Quadry Adams (Wake Forest), Derrick Grant (Southern New Hampshire), and Derrick Golden (Montclair State University), Rivera will definitely help fill some of the void with his length, athleticism, shooting, and ball handling.
Rivera, who has grown from 6’5” as a year ago to 6’7” currently, has also received offers from Central Connecticut State, Fairfield, Manhattan, NJIT, Robert Morris, and St. Peter’s. St. Thomas Aquinas, which won the 2020 GMCT, its first conference title in boys basketball since 1992, has moved up to the GMC White for this season after winning back to back division titles in the GMC Blue.
In addition to joining a roster that includes Harris and Jeffries, Rivera will also be teaming up with Kyree Henry, a standout at Woodbridge High School before transferring into Aquinas a year ago, Samar Abdullah, Jalen Jones, and Jared Gardner. Both Jones and Gardner were contributors to the Aquinas football team this past fall by helping the Trojans to a 4-3 record that included wins over South River and Colonia.
The Trojans are coached by Bob Turco, who has already compiled a record of 44-12 in his two seasons at Aquinas including a mark of 23-5 a season ago. In his first year at STA, the Trojans won their first state playoff game since 1981 when it defeated Donovan Catholic (75-48) in the opening round of the 2019 Non-Public A South State Playoffs.
Rivera has been a solid contributor for St. Thomas Aquinas so far this 2021 boys basketball season. In four games played, Rivera has tallied 16 two pointers, two threes, and 9 free throws for 47 points, or an average of 11.8 points per game while pulling down 8.8 rebounds per contest. The Trojans’ senior collected 15 points including a couple dunks and 7 boards in Aquinas’ 75-63 over Colonia on Saturday afternoon.
Congratulations Josh on the attention that you have attracted, and best of luck the rest of this season.