Top high school basketball impact transfers for 2020-21 season

By Jordan Divens Jun 3, 2020, 12:30pm

Kennedy Chandler, Jalen Duren, Dior Johnson lead list of standouts on new teams.

Video: Dior Johnson highlights
Check out the new Oak Hill Academy guard in action last season.

Each offseason, elite high school basketball rosters are rebuilt or replenished through key transfers joining new squads for the upcoming year.

While the sports world continues to deal with unprecedented times, the 2020-21 transfer season has continued as top programs Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) have made the biggest splashes so far this summer.

While there's sure to be more movement before next season begins, here's our first installment of impact transfers.
Jalen Duren, Roman Catholic
Jalen Duren, Roman Catholic
Photo by: Jim Redman
Tamar Bates
From: Piper (Kansas City, Kan.)
Impact: Bates is the first major addition for the Ascenders after coming off a strong junior season that saw him average 22.1 points, five rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. He joins a strong core including Jarace Walker, Moussa Diabate, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Lynn Kidd.



Omaha Biliew
From: Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines, Iowa)
Impact: Widely considered one of the top prospects in the Class of 2023, the 6-foot-7 wing joins a strong returning core led by Top 100 seniors Michael Foster Jr. and Keon Edwards.

Kennedy Chandler
From: Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.)
Impact: After a strong junior season that earned a spot on MaxPreps Junior All-American team, the 5-star guard joins a loaded Sunrise Christian Academy squad with key contributors Kendall Brown, Zachary Clemence and Willie Lightfoot.

Skyy Clark
From: Heritage Christian (Northridge, Calif.)
Impact: Clark averaged 25.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season, earning third team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors. The 5-star guard will be an immediate catalyst for a program looking for its first state title since winning its four straight in 2018.

Zion Cruz
From: Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.)
Impact: After losing virtually all of its production from last season, Oak Hill Academy has made its presence felt early with the addition of a trio of 5-star guards, including top 20 Class of 2022 prospect Cruz.

Gradey Dick
To: Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)
From: Collegiate (Wichita, Kan.)
Impact: After earning MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors last season, the Buffaloes' second impact transfer is expected to play a major role next season. Dick is regarded as a Top 40 prospect in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports.

From: Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)
Impact: The defending National Champions likely enter 2020-2021 as favorites to repeat with first team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American Duren joining the strong returning core of Dariq Whitehead, Caleb Houstan, Langston Love and Ryan Nembhard.

Bryce Griggs
From: Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas)
Impact: The MaxPreps Sophomore All-American joins reigning MaxPreps Freshman of the Year Mikey Williams and Freshman All-American Jurian Dixon to form one of the game's top backcourt trios.



To: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
From: Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.)
Impact: After winning MaxPreps Arizona Player of the Year honors as a junior, Holmes provides another strong post option for the Eagles. He joins 5-star juniors Houstan and Duren in a loaded frontcourt.

Dior Johnson
To: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
From: Mayfair (Lakewood, Calif.)
Impact: The second Oak Hill Academy transfer on this list, Johnson earned second team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors last season after averaging 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest.

Impact: The 6-6 guard provides a dominant scoring punch to a strong returning core from last season. McGowens earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors last season while averaging 25.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

M.J. Rice
To: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
From: Durham Academy (Durham, N.C.)
Impact: Rice put together a strong sophomore season before his year was cut short due to a season-ending injury. Through 17 games last season, the 5-star guard averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per outing.