On Nov. 10, senior basketball player Aiden Winters announced his commitment to Ramapo College of New Jersey basketball. Winters is the first boys basketball player in the Class of 2026 to commit to a school to play basketball.

“College basketball has been my dream since freshman year,” Winters told The Fanscotian. “That was when I realized how much I truly loved this sport.”

Winters decided on Ramapo due to the environment where he felt like he could grow as a player during his college years.

“The coaching staff has so much passion for the game, and I can tell they’re the type of people who will push me and help me become the best player I can be,” Winters said. “Ramapo just felt like home.”

Located in Mahwah, New Jersey, RCNJ is a public liberal arts college with just over 5,000 students. The RCNJ Roadrunners compete in the New Jersey Athletic Conference at the Division III level, where they face off against the likes of Rowan, Stockton and William Paterson.

Throughout the 26-year tenure of head coach Chuck McBreen, the Roadrunners have only missed the conference tournament six times, speaking to the skill and success level of the program. RCNJ is coming off of a year where they made an appearance in the NCAA tournament and Winters hopes to add to these achievements once he steps on campus.

“I know how hard I’ve worked to get here, and I’m ready to keep raising my level every day,” Winters said.

Winters has been a member of the varsity basketball team since his junior year, being a part of a Mountain Conference Championship team that went 19-7 in 2024-2025. For Winters, some of his favorite memories of high school basketball happened off of the court, bonding with teammates.

“Honestly, my favorite memories are the moments after a big win on the road or at home where we were vibing on the bus or in the locker room with music blasting, and everyone laughing,” Winters said. “Those times made all the hard practices and long days worth it.”

With Winters’ final basketball season about to tip off, he can already fathom what he will miss most once he plays his final game as a Raider.

“The jokes, and the way we pushed each other every single day for four years, that’s something you can’t replace,” Winters said. “I’ll also miss playing for my hometown, with everyone in the stands cheering for us.”