Newark, N.J. – NJIT men's basketball head coach Grant Billmeier has solidified his 2025 recruiting class. Six newcomers will take the floor for the Highlanders this upcoming season, comprising of four freshmen and a pair of transfers. AJ Altobelli, Rocco Awad, David Bolden and Zach Scherler make up the freshman class, while Jeremy Clayville and Melvyn Ebonkoli transfer into the program.

"I'm very excited about the class that we recruited and can't wait to get to work with them very soon," Billmeier said. Shooting was a major priority for us in this class and I think we did a tremendous job identifying some elite shooters."

Altobelli enters the program as a freshman after playing high school basketball for Union Catholic High School. He surpassed the 1,000 point milestone this past February during his senior season and finished his career with over 600 assists and 250 steals. Altobelli helped lead Union Catholic to their first State Championship in 36 years back during his sophomore season in 2023.

Awad joins NJIT out of Windsor, Ontario, where he most recently competed for London Basketball Academy. The 6-1 shooting guard attended Saunders High School and also spent time on the AAU circuit with Suns Elite.

Bolden comes to Newark by way of Glendale, Wisc., where he played his high school basketball at Nicolet High School. Bolden served as team captain during his senior season, averaging 19.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.7 steals in 26 games during the 2024-25 campaign.

Scherler is the final freshman joining the squad this season, joining the Highlanders after playing prep ball at Vermont Academy. The Clarkston, Michigan native was an impact two-way player at Vermont Academy, posting strong defensive metrics while improving his rebounding prowess which included a 16-board performance in the National Prep Championship Final Four. Scherler also played high school basketball at Clarkston High School and played club ball for Grand Rapids Storm.

Clayville is one of two transfers that enter the fold for NJIT this season. Clayville joins the Highlanders after spending his freshman season at Saint Francis (Pa.), where he was named NEC All-Rookie while helping the Red Flash reach the NCAA Tournament. The Ridgewood, N.J. native averaged 7.6 points and was second on the team with 61 made three-pointers last season.

Ebonkoli rounds out the incoming class, coming to NJIT as a graduate transfer from University of Missouri Kansas City. Ebonkoli was the lone Kansas City player to appear in all 33 games last season. He averaged 6.8 points per game and sat second on the team with 5.2 rebounds per contest. Ebonkoli was a force on the glass on the offensive end especially, ranking fifth in the Summit League with 2.0 offensive boards per game.

"We also wanted to find an older experienced players who will be a great mentor to the young guys on the team and we felt that we couldn't have found a better veteran than Melvyn Ebonkoli," Billmeier said. "Our fans will enjoy getting to know these new faces and also watch them play."

The six newcomers join NJIT's nine returnees of Jeffrey Akintolu, Malachi Arrington, Quentin Duncan, Ari Fulton, Stefan Jimenez-Vojnic, John Kelly, Cameron Piggee, Sebastian Robinson and Jordan Rogers.