Dylan Harper is on the USA Basketball junior national team, the New Jersey guard making the final cutdown last week. It is another achievement for a player who has the chance, were he to commit to Rutgers basketball, the change the arc of the program.
Ranked as the nation’s top prospect by On3, Harper is a member of the class of 2024. He is a five-star guard for Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.).
Speaking last week before the final roster cutdown, Harper spoke with Rutgers Wire following a practice with Team USA. He touched on a number of topics, including updating his recruitment (he will take two official visits this fall) and his thoughts on representing New Jersey throughout this process.
He also talked about recruiting.
One of the players that Harper is the closest with is [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag]. A five-star forward from Georgia, Bailey committed to Rutgers in January, becoming the highest-ranked verbal in program history.
Bailey did not make the final roster, but Harper says the two spent time together in Colorado.
“We have a great relationship, we talk all the time, we text. He’s always saying if I go there with him, we can do something special,” Harper told Rutgers Wire.
“So I hear that a lot from him.”
The idea of playing at Rutgers and following in his brother, [autotag]Ron Harper Jr.[/autotag]’s path, is intriguing to Harper. The 2024 recruiting class for Rutgers, which features the aforementioned Bailey, is ranked second in the nation.
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“I think if I went there, we’d have a very special, a very hard-working class,” Harper said.
“Everyone, when you’re little, you want to be a hometown hero. So that’s a big factor.”
Because of the connection to the program via his brother, Dylan has been around Rutgers more than anywhere else. Rutgers is clearly recruiting him very hard and has made him a priority recruit for this upcoming class.
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“It’s a great relationship because my brother went there,” Dylan said.
“Every time I am there, it’s always heartwarming.”
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