- Details
- Category: Current Issue
It has been a long and trying nine months for Josh Rivera. The New Jersey native was a big recruit for PSA’s prep basketball team last summer, and things were looking up for him heading into the first live period of summer basketball.
But it was during his first game then, in early July, that he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action the rest of the summer and into PSA’s preseason, which put him behind the 8-ball with the Mustangs as well.
But things have been looking up for Rivera of late.
After PSA won its third national championship in mid-March, Rivera returned home and focused on his game and his health.
And last week, he announced that he was accepting a scholarship offer to play next year at Lafayette College in Easton, Penn.
“Making that decision was a relief,” Rivera said. “After my first injury, and then this past season, everything has been rough. It felt like everything was going downhill to be honest. So for me to get this opportunity is a real blessing, and I made sure to take it. And I’m going to make sure to make the most of it.”
Rivera averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds for PSA but never really got untracked. He said he didn’t really feel healthy until the knee brace came off in January, and he had a good two-week stretch of basketball then, culminating in a 17-point, 5-rebound game against Canterbury.
“But that’s the game I hurt my ankle,” he said. “And after that, the pain was just lingering throughout the rest of the season. It was really hard. Lot of ups and downs. Lot of time in my room talking to people, just trying to keep my head up. That definitely took a toll on my confidence. It was a rough time, it really was.”
Rivera played the next five games with the ankle injury, but struggled, then sat out the next seven games. When he got back on the floor, he never got back to form. But he said there were positives to come out of the experience.
“It opened my eyes to things outside of basketball for sure,” he said. “I thought about backup plans. And I wrote about that on my college applications too. I’m really good with numbers, so I’ve always thought about accounting or something in the finance field, maybe major in Economics.”
And that piece of it was a big piece of what led him to Lafayette.
“It’s in the Patriot League and I know I can get an excellent education there,” he said.
As for the basketball piece, Rivera’s body – when healthy – is ready for the college game. He’s built like a linebacker or defensive end, packing 220 pounds onto his 6-foot-7 frame. He’s physical and can get to his spot in the post or get to the rim from the wing. He’s expanding his range on his jumper.
He has a relationship with head coach Mike Jordan, who was hired in late March, dating back a few years when Jordan was an assistant at Drexel and recruited Rivera there. Rivera also actually took an unofficial visit to Lafayette a few years ago when the previous coaching staff was recruiting him.
“I toured the campus, and I really liked it,” he said. “It’s in a nice town, the campus is quiet, they’ve got a football team. It was cool.
“Now, Coach Jordan, he thinks I can make an impact with the team and help them win games. And I really think I can too. My confidence is definitely back. I’m ready to go.”
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
.