Shane Rector’s decision to leave St. Raymond for South Kent (Conn.) was more about what the prep powerhouse could offer the rising senior, not what was lacking at The Bronx Catholic school, his father Dashon Rector told The Post.
“There are better opportunities as far as the staff there, the facilities there, the whole environment,” he said. “Right now it’s what Shane needed.”
“It’s a matter of him trying to be the best possible student athlete he’s trying to be.”
Dashon said the idea of his son transferring to South Kent came from a parent of a player on the New Jersey Playaz Club, the AAU program Shane played with over the summer.
Dashon said Shane, a 6-foot-1 point guard with elite athleticism and impressive leaping ability, would’ve left St. Raymond’s for South Kent whether Oliver Antigua, the former coach who took an assistant coach’s position at Manhattan College, was there or not. He praised new coach Jorge Lopez and the new staff in place. He also said his son’s recruitment, which includes offers from Dayton, Hofstra, UMass and Providence, had nothing to do with the move.
“If he keeps the same offers he has today, that’s not an issue,” Dashon said. “He’s just going to one of those schools as a better player.”
Shane attended Lopez’s introductory press conference recently and basketball camp at St. Ray’s this week because “he supports those guys and has a lot of confidence in them — that hasn’t changed,” Dashon said. “He still has a good relationship there, at least from his perspective and my perspective.”
“It really has nothing to do with staff there. He’s comfortable there, he was comfortable with the staff, it’s just that a better opportunity came along.”
Christ the King adds St. Anthony’s Walker: The rich just got richer.
Already projected as one of the top teams in the city for this coming season, Christ the King has added impressive point guard Andre Walker, who will transfer from St. Anthony’s on Long Island, his mother Andrea told The Post.
The family moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn for work reasons, Andrea said, spurring the change. The family looked around and settled on Christ the King because it offered the best combination of academics and athletics.
“It’s ultimately a good look for him,” she said. “At the end of the day, you want to be in a national program. I’m happy with the school. … It seemed to be the best fit.”
A 6-foot-1 floor general entering his junior year, Walker is already drawing Division I looks from Marist, Pittsburgh, Miami, Hofstra and St. Joseph’s after a big summer on the AAU circuit with the New York Lightning.
“It’s exactly what need, another good guard out on the floor for this year and next year,” Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said. “We’ve got a good core of seniors coming back. There are a lot of options with this kid being here. … It’s a great addition for us.”
Walker will likely split time this winter at the point with senior Malik Harmon. Christ the King has used two points guards at the same time in the past to sterling results, from Omar Cook and Speedy Claxton to Erving Walker and Malik Boothe.
“That worked out well,” Arbitello said.