Camden High’s Rasheer Fleming seeks smooth transition to Hawk Hill

A recent commitment to St. Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming won’t have to travel far in the fall of 2022 to get to his new home. The 6-foot-8 forward from Camden High signed his letter of intent in November and will arrive on Hawk Hill as a local standout who is eager to prove himself on the next level.

In the high school game, being the classic big man often creates a focus on rebounding. Fleming knows he’s going to have to be more versatile for the Hawks.

“I’m like a stretch four because I can pretty much do everything. I can knock it down from three, post-up game, and I can handle the ball well,” Fleming said. “For St. Joe’s, I know that’s a shooting team, so I want to make sure I knock down shots when I go there and play with the same intensity as I do now.”

Before Fleming makes his way onto campus, St. Joe’s forward Taylor Funk will finish his eligibility in the spring. But if all goes according to plan, fans won’t see much of a difference when the Hawks resume play in the fall. The two have a similar build and game. They are the same height and live off the three-point shot, but both can rebound when asked to as well.

A lot of Division I athletes spend their high school years as the best players on their team. They sometimes have trouble transitioning to the college game, where everyone else on the floor is usually as talented as them.

Fleming shouldn’t have this problem because he has already dealt with this type of transition. His decision to transfer to Camden after his first two years at Gloucester City High was humbling but also an excellent development choice. Camden ranks third in the country and is full of Division I talent.

“I was one of the best players on my Gloucester team, and then I transferred to Camden. We’ve got the number one player; we got D.J.,” Fleming said.

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Fleming was referring to Dajuan Wagner Jr., considered by many scouts to be the best high school junior in the country. Along with Wagner and Fleming, the Camden squad includes five-star center Aaron Bradshaw and three-star guard Elijah Perkins.

“I wasn’t [the best player] anymore, and I’m OK with that,” Fleming said. “I can play within the team as well.”

Fleming grew three inches between his sophomore and junior years. And Camden coach Rick Brunson saw important development as well.

“The part of competing at a high level for 32 minutes, that was an adjustment last year,” Brunson said. “The beginning of the season, he’s been doing a really good job. So, when you see his minutes go up now, you know we’re happy with him and he’s getting better every day.”

Fleming added, “When I first got [to Camden], I was a little laggy. But from then to now, I really picked up on like, how hard I should play. … Now I’m moving faster and making sure I’m doing the right thing.”

While the current focus for Fleming is to win a state championship, he has a lot to look forward to at St. Joe’s.

“I chose St. Joe’s because it’s a really cool school and I enjoy the coaching staff,” Fleming said. “They made sure I felt welcome, and I like how they play basketball. I like their offense and how they move around.”

St. Joseph’s is just 10 miles away from Camden High. But being close to home isn’t just a comfort for Fleming. He is the oldest of nine siblings.

“At St. Joe’s, I’m not coming home every day. But I can come home very often and see my family and make sure they know that I’m still around caring for them,” Fleming said. “They can see me play anytime at the home games.”

Even with all the support from his family, Brunson believes there could be a lot more support in the coming years.

“He’s a tremendous worker. … He’s got the best upside of anybody on our team: 6-8, athletic, shoots the three,” Brunson said. “So I told him in two or three years, he should be a type of player that the next level is watching.”