La Salle junior Elijah Burns - who has been one of the top Section II basketball players for the past two seasons - will be taking his talents out of the Capital District next season as he plans to transfer to Blair Academy in New Jersey. 

The 6'6" forward averaged 17.8 points and 10 rebounds for the Cadets last season, who made it to the Class AA quarterfinals before a loss to Shaker. 

The decision to transfer to Blair - which boasts a 294-104 record in 14 years as a program - offers Burns the chance to reclass or, in other words, essentially repeat his junior year and graduate in 2015. The extra season means Burns will have more time to go through the recruitment process and even a better chance at college offers by competing in the NJ State Prep league. 

"It’s really a move that’s going to get him a lot more exposure," La Salle basketball coach Steve Sgambelluri said. "He’s going to play more games and against high competition in the prep school."

While his decision to transfer will have a major impact on the Cadets' season next year, Sgambelluri and the La Salle program are equally anxious to see what Burns can accomplish with this kind of opportunity. 

"I have a great relationship with him and his family. They’ve been great in terms of talking to me about their decisions. His family has been incredibly open and honest."  

- More information on his decision from Elijah later today -