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Prep school transfer leaves this York County boys’ basketball team with huge hole to fill

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6 months ago

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Prep school transfer leaves this York County boys’ basketball team with huge hole to fill

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It turns out the rumors were true. And that’s not good news for York Suburban.

As soon as Nasir Barnes burst onto the YAIAA boys’ basketball scene with 18 points in his first varsity game, speculation began that the freshman would transfer to a prep school.

York Suburban coach Mitch Kemp confirmed Thursday that Barnes has transferred to Mount Saint Joseph prep school in Baltimore.

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Barnes was named the Division II Player of the Year by YAIAA coaches after averaging nearly 20 points per game and leading the Trojans to a share of the division title, a spot in the league tournament final and spots in the District 3 and PIAA tournaments.

The 6-0 point guard was one of only two players in the league to score at least 40 points last season, a feat he did in early January against Eastern York.

Now he will take his talents to MSJ, a Catholic college prep school for boys. According to the Gaels website, more than 50 graduates moved on to NCAA Division I programs and three played in the NBA.

Barnes is the second player from Kemp’s York Suburban team to leave the Trojans for a prep school since the end of the basketball season.

After a stellar football season that earned C.J. Rissmiller first-team league honors, the running back announced he was transferring to Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. Rissmiller, who reclassified to graduate in 2027, ran for more than 1,100 yards at York Suburban and was also named an honorable mention basketball all-star.

So that means in addition to the nine points Kemp lost through graduation, the Trojans also have to make up the 30 points lost through the transfers.

“Prep school has started to ruin high school basketball,” Kemp said.

Barnes and Rissmiller are following in the footsteps of Jarace Walker, who chose IMG Academy over playing at Susquehannock. Walker played one season at the University of Houston before he was selected as the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

Some elite athletes chose to stay in their local high schools instead of going the prep school route.

Eli Brooks and Laila Campbell stayed at Spring Grove instead of going to prep schools. Brooks ended up playing basketball at the University of Michigan, and Campbell is on her way to a track and field career at LSU. Central York’s Ben Rill tried prep school his freshman year but returned to Central York as a sophomore to continue his basketball career. He has one year remaining for the defending PIAA Class 6A champs.

Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on Twitter @ShelStallsmith. 

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