By ZACH SMART
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — After making an immense stride from his freshman to sophomore season last year, Stepinac (NY) Class of 2026 wing Jasiah Jervis inherits some ownership of a seasoned, talented junior-laden Crusaders team hell-bent on winning an unprecedented third consecutive city title.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound Jervis thrived while navigating the big stage Bronx pressure cooker that is the CHSAA “AA” championships Fordham University. During the semifinals, Jervis sparked a significant power surge during the first half. The catch-and-stick threat, a floor-spreader with NBA range, bagged four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in those first two quarters, en route to a 21-point performance during a thorough 73-52 trouncing of St. Francis Prep.
Stepinac went on to win the title game against Nazareth.
With most eyes on the Ratliff twins no.59 class of ‘26 recruit @Jasiah_Jervis wins the MVP in a 66-56 @step_basketball win over Ohio’s Richmond Heights HS @HoophallClassic Jasiah had 17/6/3 pic.twitter.com/PQh98ZdTsi
— Paul Snyder (@Pebo52) January 19, 2025
During Sunday’s victory over Richmond Heights at the prestigious Hoophall Classic at Springfield College, Jervis again got Stepinac jump-started. He opened the game up with a deep 3-pointer, then got free for an open lay-in off a fireball assist from UMass-bound point guard Danny Carbuccia.
Jervis stuck 3-pointers from both sides of the floor, bolstering Stepinac’s momentum as they went into halftime with a 38-27 lead. Jervis wound up scoring 17 points on 4-for-8 from 3-point range, adding six boards and three assists in a 66-56 victory.
As a confrontational defender with a college-ready build and consistency on the glass, Jervis is starting to look the part of a national stock-riser.
Duke, UNC, Miami, and Illinois are now expressing interest in Jervis, who recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech.
“Wake Forest, Rutgers, Pitt, Northwestern, St. Bonaventure–Woj (General Manager Adrian Wojnarowski) that’s my guy, he’s coming up (to Stepinac) soon,” Jervis said when asked about who he’s hearing from most actively.
The PSA Cardinals product was also offered by Seton Hall, Saint Louis, Quinnipiac, Rhode Island, St. John’s and others. Saint Louis also recently offered Jervis’ Stepinac teammate, lengthy and versatile 6-foot-5 2026 guard Hassan Koureissi.
A multi-year starter who also played a pivotal role on last year’s Boogie Fland-led, city title team, Koureissi scored 12 points in the Richmond Heights victory. He scored 17 points and grabbed six boards to go with three assists in propelling Stepinac to its first of consecutive wins over formidable conference foe St. Raymond’s earlier in the month.
Stepinac applied thorough, blanketing defense, limiting a Richmond Heights team known for its three-point proficiency. The Crusaders were able to get hot shooting, Ohio State-bound guard Dorian Jones in foul trouble early, as he missed a considerable stretch of the first half.
“One thing about me is I really take pride in my defense,” Jervis said. “I always want to neutralize the opponent’s top scorer “
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