BY ZACH SMART
As a long kick out 3-point shooter at 6-foot-8, Stepinac HS Class of 2027 prospect Josh Rivera‘s game is an embodiment of what has become a necessity at the next level.
Rivera, who has enjoyed three city championships in three years, with Stepinac having a significant upper hand on formidable foes in the traditionally powerful New York Catholic Leagues, enters his senior season with lofty expectations.
A Yonkers, NY native, Rivera is the longest tenured player across Pat Massaroni’s roster.
He has been a spark off the bench with an adeptness for rattling points off in a hurry, with multiple four point plays this past season.
A four star recruit, Rivera has now scheduled visits for Loyola Chicago (Sept. 11), UMass (Sept. 17), Florida International (Oct. 6), and Hofstra (Oct.9).
Fordham and St. Joe’s are among other programs at which Rivera plans on taking official visits.
Rivera has accumulated offers from the likes of Mississippi State, St. Bonaventure, Northwestern, UTEP, Fairfield, and several others.
He has been a Top-70 caliber talent throughout a recruitment that began during his freshman season, as he played sparingly on a Stepinac team led by then-senior and 2024 McDonald’s All American Boogie Fland (Florida).
Rivera boosted his recruitment during the summer heading into his junior season, as he averaged 17 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 steals playing for the NY Rens at Peach Jam.
This Stepinac program has attained unprecedented success in New York, having now won four consecutive city championships.
In June, the Crusaders graduated a star-encrusted senior class featuring Jasiah Jervis (Michigan State), Adonis Ratliff (Southern California), Darius Ratliff (Southern California), Hassan Koureissi (Fordham), and Dylan Perry (Monmouth).
Stepinac’s youth movement, which was able to get their teeth cut as Massaroni played 13 guys comfortably at times during the 2025-26 campaign, is projected to come of age next year.
Larry Jenkins, who took a considerable leap this summer and is currently firmly entrenched on the Division-I radar and 6-foot-8, 240-pound behemoth forward Elijah Novotny along with several others are anticipated to take on more significant roles.
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