Top 5 impact midseason transfers in elite high school boys basketball

The transfer portal dominates discussions in college sports, and transfers are a long-discussed topic in high school sports.

Elite high school basketball, where rules from governing bodies vary, has an added layer to the madness: Every year, some of the top basketball players in the country move schools during the season.

Yes, midseason transfers are a reality in high school basketball. While it might seem like the wild west when it comes to transfers in high school hoops, there are some rules in place.

One of the youngest but most prominent leagues in the country, for example, the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, allows players to transfer freely with immediate eligibility — within certain window.

A player must transfer by Dec. 30 to be eligible to play starting Jan. 5, and the latest they may transfer is Jan. 9 if they wish to play the rest of the season with their new team.

Here are five impact midseason transfers across the country:

Jamari Phillips, jr., AZ Compass Prep (Arizona)

A highly-touted combo guard committed to the University of Arizona, Phillips joined one of the top-ranked high school teams in the country just before the calendar turned to 2023. He left Modesto Christian (California), where he was the All-Sac-Joaquin Section player of the year as a sophomore. The 6-foot-3 junior jumped into the rotation right away and posted 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in one of his first games with AZ Compass, a win over NIBC opponent Legacy Early College (South Carolina) at the La Porte Invitational in Indiana.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, sr., Word of God (North Carolina)

A four-star guard signed to the University of Illinois, Gibbs-Lawhorn was one of the few returning players for No. 1 Montverde Academy (Florida) this season before he transferred to Word of God. The 6-foot senior went from sharing minutes with the most talented roster in the country to starring for a team that unexpectedly lost its two best players to the college ranks halfway through the season. Word of God seniors Freddie Dilione (Tennessee) and Davin Cosby (Alabama) decided to begin their college careers in January, leaving two massive vacancies in the starting lineup for a team that spent the entire first half of the season in the Power 25 national rankings.

AJ Swinton, jr., Sierra Canyon (California)

Swinton joined Sierra Canyon in late December, making it his third team in one calendar year. The four-star junior began the season at Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) after making a name for himself at DeMatha (Maryland) as a sophomore. Oak Hill struggled early in its first season without longtime head coach Steve Smith. When Swinton joined Bronny James and Sierra Canyon the team was nationally ranked, but it has since fallen from the top 25 due to the combination of injuries and a tough schedule.

Zion Pipkin, jr., Legacy School of Sport Sciences (Texas)

Pipkin became the second player to transfer from Oak Hill Academy (Va.) in one week when he left for Legacy School of Sports Sciences in early January. Following a short stint with the historic NIBC program the four-star junior moved back to his home state, as he played for Texas schools Westfield as a sophomore and The Woodlands Christian as a freshman.

Kiyan Anthony, soph., Long Island Lutheran (New York)

The son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony was the most recent high-profile midseason transfer, although he won’t be able to play for his new team until next season. Kiyan Anthony, a four-star sophomore with a growing list of college offers, announced Feb. 5 he would be making the in-state transfer from Christ the King to Long Island Lutheran. He left one of the top teams in New York for the current top team in New York and No. 12 team in the nation. 

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Lead photo by Ralph Thompson