High school basketball transfer train in motion

New Jersey is the hub for high school basketball's annual wave of transfers this off-season.

A coaching change at national power St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), where former Duke and NBA player Roshown McLeod took over for Danny Hurley, and the closure of nearby Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.) has sent several elite talents searching for new homes.

Topping the list is former St. Benedict's Prep guard and MaxPreps All-American Myck Kabongo taking his game to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.). Kabongo posted over 18 points and six assists per game in leading the Gray Bees to a 20-1 record and No. 2 national ranking as a junior.

Kabongo is not the first former Gray Bee to end up at Findlay Prep. University of Texas-bound standout Tristan Thompson played for both programs in the same season in 2008-09, joining Findlay Prep in the latter stages of an unbeaten campaign that culminated with a consensus No. 1 national ranking.

St. Benedict's Prep could replace Kabongo with star rising junior guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who helped North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) capture Indiana's Class 4A state title. Smith-Rivera was being recruited by McLeod while he was an assistant at Indiana University.

"I'm really considering it," Smith-Rivera told the Herald-Times of Bloomington, Ind., in May. "Coach McLeod, I'm really good friends with his family."

Paterson Catholic is shutting its doors for good due to financial struggles, making standouts like Kyle Anderson and Myles Mack highly-coveted free agents on the high school scene.

Both are headed to St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) to play for legendary Friar head coach Bob Hurley. Anderson made his decision several weeks ago while SNY writer Adam Zagoria reported Mack would join him at the Jersey City school Sunday.

In addition to Kabongo, two other top 10 2011 talents – both from North Carolina – will also be donning new uniforms next winter.

Future Tar Heel P.J. Hairston, a 6-foot-6 forward from Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.), will finish his high school career at Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.). Hairston averaged 25.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a junior and is rated the No. 7 prospect in the class by MaxPreps.

Joining Hairston in relocating to Hargrave will be Marquis Rankin of Vance (Charlotte, N.C.) and Dezmine Wells of Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.).

Quincy Miller, a 6-8 forward rated the No. 9 prospect in the 2011 class, is leaving Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) for Westchester Academy (High Point, N.C.). At Westchester, Miller will join one of the nation's most exciting players and dunkers in rising senior guard Quddus Bello.

Out West, Xavier Johnson is making noise after announcing he would be leaving Chaparral (Temecula, Calif.). Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), Findlay Prep and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) are considered potential destinations.

Transfer talk should heat up in the coming weeks as schools close for the summer and players and families begin seriously exploring other options.

Transfer Train
Top 100 talents on the move
Player, Former school to new school
Kyle Anderson, Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.) to St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)
P.J. Hairston, Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.) to Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Maurice Harkless, Forest Hills (Forest Hills, N.Y.) to South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.)
Sidiki Johnson, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Myck Kabongo, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
Myles Mack, Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.) to St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)
Quincy Miller, Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) to Westchester Academy (High Point, N.C.)
Marquis Rankin, Vance (Charlotte, N.C.) to Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Dezmine Wells, Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) to Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)