Data study · every season we hold

Where New Jersey High School Basketball Players Go to College

Of the 1,292 players from New Jersey high schools on a college roster in our data, 37% played their college basketball in New Jersey.

Computed from 1,292 players · 2020–21 to 2026–27 · updated Sep 1, 2026

1,292

players in the dataset

37%

stayed in New Jersey

28%

reached D1

Pennsylvania

#1 destination outside New Jersey

37% stay in-state.

New Jersey is below the 42% all-state baseline.

New Jersey skews toward D3.

59% of New Jersey players in the dataset reached D3, against 41% nationally.

Pennsylvania and New York are the first destinations out.

Among players leaving New Jersey, 32% went to Pennsylvania and 23% to New York.

New Jersey's college players skew heavily toward D3

New Jersey vs all states · share of players at each level

New Jersey

D128%

D214%

D359%

n = 1,292

All states

D137%

D222%

D341%

n = 29,390

	NJ	All states	Difference
D1	28%	37%	−9 pts
D2	14%	22%	−8 pts
D3	59%	41%	+18 pts

Where New Jersey players land

Destination states

Destination state	Players	Share
New Jersey	477	37%
Pennsylvania	258	20%
New York	187	14%
Massachusetts	49	4%
Connecticut	47	4%
Maryland	24	2%
North Carolina	18	1%
Ohio	18	1%

Which programs take New Jersey players

Historical landings

Program	Division	State	Players
Rutgers-Newark	D3	New Jersey	45
Saint Elizabeth	D3	New Jersey	33
Kean	D3	New Jersey	32
NJCU	D3	New Jersey	32
FDU-Florham	D3	New Jersey	30
Georgian Court	D2	New Jersey	28
Stockton	D3	New Jersey	28
Drew	D3	New Jersey	27
TCNJ	D3	New Jersey	27
Rutgers-Camden	D3	New Jersey	25

Program	Division	State	Players
NJIT	D1	New Jersey	10
Monmouth	D1	New Jersey	9
Manhattan	D1	New York	8
Saint Peter's	D1	New Jersey	8
Wagner	D1	New York	8
Marist	D1	New York	7
New Haven	D1	Connecticut	7
Fairfield	D1	Connecticut	6
FDU	D1	New Jersey	6
Merrimack	D1	Massachusetts	6

Program	Division	State	Players
Georgian Court	D2	New Jersey	28
Felician	D2	New Jersey	18
Holy Family	D2	Pennsylvania	15
Caldwell	D2	New Jersey	11
Adelphi	D2	New York	7
Lincoln (PA)	D2	Pennsylvania	7
East Stroudsburg	D2	Pennsylvania	5
Dominican (NY)	D2	New York	4
Assumption	D2	Massachusetts	3
Bloomsburg	D2	Pennsylvania	3

Program	Division	State	Players
Rutgers-Newark	D3	New Jersey	45
Saint Elizabeth	D3	New Jersey	33
Kean	D3	New Jersey	32
NJCU	D3	New Jersey	32
FDU-Florham	D3	New Jersey	30
Stockton	D3	New Jersey	28
Drew	D3	New Jersey	27
TCNJ	D3	New Jersey	27
Rutgers-Camden	D3	New Jersey	25
Rowan	D3	New Jersey	23

What this means for a New Jersey recruit

How to read it

Start local, but don't stop local.

37% of New Jersey players in the dataset stayed in-state — the programs most likely to see you play repeatedly are the ones nearby.

Your realistic level matters more than geography alone.

New Jersey's historical landings skew toward D3 (59% vs 41% nationally).

Past recruiting is a signal, not a guarantee.

A program that repeatedly rosters players from your state has demonstrated a pathway; it does not mean it will recruit you.

Those are the historical patterns for New Jersey. Where does your profile fit?Depth Chart scores your size, position, level and recruiting profile against all 1,060 programs.

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Methodology

Source · sample · scope

1,292 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2026–27

Definitions and scope

Source: Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
Home state: The state of the high school on the player's record — the same definition the state tool uses, so the two read the same data the same way.
Level: Each player counts once, at the highest level they reached across the seasons we hold (D1 over D2 over D3).
Sample: 1,292 players from New Jersey high schools, across every season we hold; roster coverage runs 2020–21 to 2026–27. A state with fewer than 200 players in our data is not published, because it would describe a coincidence rather than a pattern.
Computed: September 1, 2026 · methodology state-landing-pages-1

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