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We are nine weeks away from the start of the college basketball season. With that in mind, we thought it would be time to start taking a look at what the America East Conference has in store for the 2025-26 season. First up is the NJIT Highlanders, who went 6-25 overall and 3-13 in league play last season.
Head coach Grant Billmeier has six new players entering the program. Four of them are freshmen, and the other two are transfers. The coach targeted shooters in his search over the offseason. He believes he has found some that can help immediately. AJ Altobelli is a six-foot guard who was a 1,000-point scorer at Union Catholic High School. He also recorded 600 assists and 250 steals. In 2023, he helped the team to their first state championship in 36 years.
Rocco Awad is a 6-1 freshman guard from Windsor, Ontario, who played at the London Basketball Academy. He would play two seasons there. In 2024, he was named Windsor & Essex Secondary School Athletic Association Tier 1 Mr. Basketball.
David Bolden is a 6-1 freshman from Milwaukee, Wisc. who played at Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisc. He was named team captain for his senior season. He averaged 19.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.7 steals in 26 games. He was named All-State and First Team All-Conference while at Nicolet. He also played AAU ball for Kevon Looney Power 5.
Zack Scherler is a 6-11 freshman from Clarkston, Michigan, who played prep basketball at Vermont Academy. A strong two-way player, he posted a 16-rebound effort in the National Prep Championship Final Four. Zach also spent time playing for the Grand Rapids Storm.
From the transfer portal comes Jeremy Clayville, who in 2024-25 played for St. Francis PA. in the Northeast Conference. He would help the Red Flash to the NCAA Tournament by averaging 7.6 points and by being second on the team with 61 made three-pointers. He had 12 games with at least three made from long distance, including a season-high five vs Chicago State on February 8. The 6-1 sophomore is from Ridgewood, NJ.
Melvyn Ebonkoli is a 6-8 transfer from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. This will be Melvyn’s third stop on the college basketball trail. He spent two years at UMKC. Last season, he played in all 33 games. He averaged 25.6 minutes per game, which was fourth most on the team. He averaged 6.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds, which was second best on the team. He recorded three double-doubles, which was good for fourth in the Summit League. He ranked fifth in the league with 2.00 offensive boards per game. He scored in double-figures eight times and led the team in rebounding eight times. At NJIT, Melvyn will be playing a grad year.
These six players will join the nine returnees from last year’s team. No question that the Highlanders are looking to improve on last season’s record to move up in the America East standings.
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John Doucette
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