NYCHoops.net Weekly Roundup (4/17)

We have another jam-packed Roundup for you this week featuring a bunch of college commitments. The transfer portal continues to fill and adjust as a few names start to find new homes. While everyone is worried about their AAU schedules let’s take a peek into our latest article.

6’6” CG Jason Rivera-Torres (John Marshall ’23)

The Former Iona Prep standout had an incredible Senior campaign winning a bunch of hardware as well as leading his team to a historic record. While he has become famous after starring in “Swagger” a tv series loosely based Kevin Durant he decided to make his college decision. He had trimmed his impressive list down to FAU, San Diego, Fordham, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M. The three-star playmaker becomes their 4th signing of a promising 2023 class that Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse has put together. We love the fit, really believe in the kids’ game and it wouldn’t shock us to see him playing impactful minutes over the next two seasons.

6’4” SG Idan Tretout (Harvard Sr.)

The Brooklyn native entered the portal after a terrific season with the Crimson. Tretout, a former Bishop Loughlin standout was second on the team in points and assists. He’s a terrific leader who can score inside as well as outside plus has a great basketball IQ. A bunch of programs reached out but one emerged as Tretout announced he will be coming home and signing with Iona. We have big expectations for him and the program as they look to get back into the tournament.

5’10” PG Malik Edmead (Albany Jr.)

The former First Team All Long Island star entered the portal despite transferring to Albany last season. This past year Edmead had a solid role off the bench seeing action in 23 games averaging 17 minutes a night. Unfortunately for Albany they had a tough go of it finishing last in the America East conference leading to several players entering the portal with Edmead. However, despite all the chaos he has found a new home as he will now return back to Merrimack where he shined his freshman year almost averaging ten points a game.

6’5” G TJ Bamba (Washington State Jr.)

Bamba is a Bronx native who moved to Colorado during his final two seasons of high school. Last season Bamba took over as a starter for the Cougars and absolutely exploded. The All Pac12 honorable mention lead his team in scoring averaging 16 points a game while shooting 37% from beyond the arc. When he entered the portal, he instantly became a hot commodity as Kansas, Auburn, Villanova, North Carolina , Tennessee, Texas, and St. John’s all reached out. While everyone presented a tremendous opportunity, he felt he couldn’t pass Villanova, especially with all the success they’ve had getting players to the next level.

6’8” PF Shemani Fuller (Western Michigan Fr.)

The Bronx native had several suitors before deciding to attend Western Michigan. He saw action in just 11 games this past season as the Broncos struggled finishing in dead last in the conference. Fuller along with a few other players entered the portal in hopes for a better landing spot. We didn’t hear much about his recruitment when he entered the portal, but he settled all rumors when he announced this past week, he will be committing to Clark Atlanta University a D2 program in Georgia.

6” PG Jalen Nesmith (Jacksonville Jr.)

Nesmith is a Bronx native who was a standout at Hayes before moving down south. While it definitely was a tough journey just to get to Jacksonville, he decided to enter the transfer portal after one season. He saw action in 19 games but never really established himself in the rotation. We struggled to get any information on his recruitment but he like Fuller announced this week that he will be headed to Georgia to attend Clark Atlanta University.