LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University Men's Basketball Head Coach Kevin Baggett has announced the additions of 10 incoming student-athletes for the 2024-25 academic year. The class includes seven student-athletes with previous Division I experience and three freshmen. Seniors Jay Alvarez and Stephen "Tank" Byard and juniors Alaaeddine Boutayeb, Zion Cruz, Zocko Littleton Jr., Leland "Snookey" Wigington and Andre Young join true freshmen Aasim "Flash" Burton, Maurizio "Rece" D'Alessandro and Cole McCabe to comprise the 10-member incoming class. 

"We are excited for the upcoming season with all the new additions to our roster," said Head Coach Kevin Baggett. "These new players will give us more depth and talent at every position to ultimately help us compete for the MAAC title."

Jay Alvarez
Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro Area (Houston Christian)
Redshirt Senior, Forward, 6-5, 210 lbs.

- Played his junior season at Houston Christian, finishing fifth in the Southland Conference at 15.6 point per game, while also adding 4.5 rebounds per game
- Spent two seasons at Sullivan County Community College, where he was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection in leading the Generals to back-to-back Region 15 Championships
- Also earned District Player of the Year and NJCAA Division II First Team All-American as a sophomore at Sullivan, averaging 21.9 points and 8.6 rebounds
- Three-year starter at Waynesboro Area Senior High School


Alaaeddine Boutayeb
Casablanca, Morocco/Miami Dade College (Florida State/Arkansas State)
Junior, Center, 7-2, 230 lbs.

- FCSAA Citrus All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2023-24 at Miami Dade College, averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 52.2 percent
- Scored in double figures 13 times in 29 games played for the Sharks
- Saw action in 15 games, including one start, for Arkansas State in 2022-23
- Dressed for several games in ACC play, but did not enter a game in his season at Florida State


Aasim "Flash" Burton
Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara
Freshman, Guard, 6-3, 165 lbs.

- Averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game in earning All-Delco and Second Team All-Catholic as a senior
- Topped 30 points on six occasions, including an outing of 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the opener against Germantown Academy and 30 points again the next night against West Philadelphia
- Added 33 points in the league against Father Judge and 40 points, six rebounds, four assists and seven steals against Reading


Stephen "Tank" Byard
Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City (Alcorn State)
Senior, Forward, 6-8, 215 lbs.

- Averaged 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 25 games, including nine starts, in 2023-24 at Alcorn State
- 2021 ACCAC Player of the Year and an NJCAA All-American at Cochise (AZ) College, averaging 15.9 points (19.1 ppg in conference) and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting .642 from the floor
- Guided Cochise to a pair of Region I Championships and was a two-time All-Region Team honoree
- Played prep at Atlantic City High School


Zion Cruz
Trenton, NJ/Donda (DePaul/Pratt CC)
Junior, Guard/Forward, 6-5, 195 lbs.

- Averaged 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 14 games played in 2023-24 at Pratt (KS) Community College
- Appeared in 27 games with one start as a true freshman at DePaul in 2022-23, totaling 64 points and 29 rebounds
- Had a career-high performance against St. John's, scoring 14 points off the bench on 6-of-12 shooting
- Played high school senior season at Donda Academy in Simi Valley, Calif., where he averaged 12.8 points per game
- Previously played scholastically at The Patrick School and Hudson Catholic and for the PSA Cardinals on the EYBL circuit
- New Jersey native who was ranked No. 37 by 247Sports, No. 49 by Rivals.com and No. 72 by ESPN overall


Maurizio "Rece" D'Alessandro
Charlottesville, VA/New Hampton Prep/Fork Union Military Academy
Freshman, Guard, 6-1, 185 lbs.

- First Team Virginia All-Prep League as a sophomore at Fork Union Military Academy
- Served as team captain
- In the 2022-23 season, as a member of Fork Union's post-grad National team, led his team to a 19-14 season as the starting point guard in the "Elite Prep League," one of the most prestigious and competitive post-grad/prep basketball leagues in the country


Zocko Littleton Jr.
Albany, GA/Osborne (Appalachian State/Chipola College)
Junior, Guard, 6-3, 185 lbs.

- Averaged 9.1 points and 2.4 assists in 34 games played, shooting 35.3 percent from long range and 91.7 percent (33-36) from the free-throw line in 2023-24 at Chipola College
- Saw action in eight games as a true freshman at Appalachian State in 2022-23, averaging 2.0 points per game
- Two-time Georgia 6A All-State Team selection, scoring nearly 1,900 points in his high school career at Osborne
- Ranked a four-star recruit out of high school by ESPN and a three star by Rivals.com


Cole McCabe
Miami, FL/Miami Country Day/IMG Academy
Freshman, Forward, 6-8, 220 lbs.

- Played a postgrad year at the prestigious IMG Academy
- Previously played at Miami Country Day School, averaging nearly a double-double at 10.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a senior in 2022-23


Leland "Snookey" Wigington
Los Angeles, CA/Ribet Academy (Univ. of Nevada)
Junior, Guard, 5-9, 140 lbs.

- Spent two seasons on Nevada's roster, appearing in four games
- Led Ribet Academy to a State Championship in 2019 and a repeat appearance in the State Championship Game in 2020 before it was canceled due to COVID-19
- During his senior season, Ribet Academy went 30-3 and was the No. 6 team in the nation, per MaxPreps.com


Andre Young
Mableton, GA/Pebblebrook (Troy Univ./Gulf Coast State Coll.)
Junior, Guard, 5-11, 160 lbs.

- Averaged 13.8 points and 3.0 assists, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor, 35.9 percent from long range and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line in 28 games for Gulf Coast State College in 2023-24
- Redshirted true freshman year at Troy University due to injury
- Averaged 15 points, six assists and three steals in his senior year at Pebblebrook High School, the same school that produced former Rider All-MAAC selections Dwight Murray Jr. and Mervin James
- Helped lead Pebblebrook to three deep Georgia 7A playoff runs, including back-to-back Elite 8 appearances in his freshman and sophomore seasons and a Final Four his junior year