Rider adds depth to the guard with an incoming commit – The Rider News

By Carolo Pascale

Since the end of the basketball season, Rider men’s basketball has lost five players to the transfer gate, many of whom were guards. To help fill that void, the Broncs added incoming freshman combo guard Jack McFadden.

The 6-foot-5, two-star rated freshman — according to Verbal Commits, a popular recruiting website — from Endwell, New York, was a prolific player at Maine-Endwell High School. He also played at the highly regarded SPIRE Institute and Academy, which produced LaMelo Ball 2020-2021 NBA Rookie of the Year, and AAU Team Fredette Elite UA Rise.

McFadden said his love for basketball came from his family.

“My brother and all his friends taught me and my dad and mom,” McFadden said. “I’ve had a basketball in my hands since I was little. I fell in love with the game like every day I played it.

McFadden was a multi-sport athlete growing up, playing hockey, football and baseball as well as basketball. But his real talents showed when he got the rock in his hands. He turned to basketball because of his enjoyment.

“Honestly, it was just because of how it made me feel when I was playing it. I didn’t feel that way with any other sport I play,” McFadden said. made it feel like no other sport has. I had so much fun with it. And I thought I was the best at it. So I continued that.

McFadden began playing in the Maine-Endwell college basketball program when he was in the eighth grade, which led to him adapting his level of play. Nonetheless, he held his own and led the team in free throw percentage and assists that season. McFadden called the time “surreal” and a “great first step” for his career.

Throughout her high school career, McFadden won numerous accolades. From 2018 to 2020, McFadden was named to the Stars and Stripes Basketball Officials All-Star Team, in addition to being the inaugural All-Section Four. In 2019, he was named to the NYS All New York State Roster ninth team. In 2020, McFadden earned his most prized material, being named to the eighth team NYS All New York State Roster and named 2020 NYS Section 4 Class A Player of the Year.

After his high school season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jack felt discouraged not finishing the way he wanted.

“It was really tough. But I was just really grateful that we had a season at all,” McFadden said. “We had 10 games, and I was just grateful to be able to play some games, because I thought we weren’t going to have any games my last year.”

But in the 10 games his team played, he averaged 25.5 points and eight rebounds per game (according to his website stats). By the end of his high school career, McFadden managed to become Maine-Endwell’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,309 career points.

“It meant a lot to me because I love playing in front of my hometown. They’ve supported me throughout my career,” McFadden said. “It’s a big accomplishment for me, and it means a lot because I respect my city and my school.”

After graduating from high school, McFadden decided to take a year off instead of going straight to college. In his spare time, he focused entirely on basketball, playing in the popular SPIRE Institute and Academy program and the AAU Fredette Elite UA Rise team.

McFadden’s coach at Team Fredette, Jhason Clark, thought the gap year really helped McFadden develop on and off the pitch.

“It actually helped him mature,” Clark said. “At his high school, he was kind of the go-to guy and they ran things for him. So he was so used to having the ball in his hands all the time. So getting into SPIRE, having other guys that were really good around him made him mature and he was able to get a little further off the ball. When he reaches that level at Rider, not everything will work out for him. So I feel like the gap year really helped him.

After his sabbatical year, McFadden sought to make the leap to play in a Division I program, and Clark had the connections to be able to place McFadden ahead of Broncs head coach Kevin Baggett.

“I have a good relationship with Coach Baggett,” Clark said. “So I was sending him a movie and constantly updating him on Jack’s progress and just building that communication between me and Coach Baggett and then Coach Baggett and Jack.”

On March 30, McFadden officially announced his commitment to play for the Broncs.

“Jack played in front of a lot of coaches, but in his mind and in his heart he really wanted Rider,” Clark said.

As for why McFadden picked Rider, he said it was a perfect size for him and he liked the coaching staff the Broncs assembled.

With McFadden now committed to Rider, the Broncs will have more depth at guard. He will now be able to learn under senior guard Dwight Murray Jr. and junior guard Allen Powell.

“I feel like I can bring a lot of different skills into my skill set, like shooting, passing, putting it down, improving my teammates and also creating my own shot, getting to the lane, even though I’m a bit under-achieving. sized,” McFadden said. “I’m not just like a catch and shoot; I can create my own plan and get to the lane. I’ll do anything Coach [Baggett] wants me to do.

With an entire summer working with the team, McFadden is excited to start.

“When I signed up, it was just the world on my back with the stress and all that,” McFadden said. “I was so happy that I finally signed up with Rider. And I’m so excited to see what we can do this coming fall.

As of press time, McFadden had not officially signed with Rider but indicated his intention to sign in early May.