Two years ago on Dec. 9, former Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. hit a half-court buzzer-beater to defeat No. 1 Purdue, 70-68. Harper totaled 30 points on 67.7 percent shooting from the field in a winning effort.
The Don Bosco prospect recorded a double-double against the Boilermakers, grabbing ten rebounds to go with his 30 points. He added five three-pointers on seven attempts and logged one assist and one steal. Harper Jr. averaged 15.8 and 5.9 rebounds per game, guiding the Scarlet Knights to an 18-14 record during the 2021-22 season.
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𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧… 🗣️🎙️#OTD in 2021, Ron Harper Jr. hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater to stun No. 1 Purdue.@__RHJR x @RutgersMBB pic.twitter.com/WPJQrvNFSP
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 9, 2023
For his effort during his senior season, Harper Jr. received Honorable Mention All-American (Associated Press) and Second All-Big Ten selection (Coaches and Media). He was the highest all-conference honors for a Scarlet Knight in the Big Ten at the time and the highest all-conference selection for a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby in 2005-06.
At the end of the 2021-22 season, the former Scarlet Knight declared for the NBA Draft. As the Ex-Rutgers star went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors signed the Rutgers guard shortly afterward, signing Harper Jr. to a two-way contract with their G-League team. In two seasons with the Raptors 905, Harper Jr. was waived by the organization because of a season-ending injury.
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Harper is the older brother of Dylan Harper, the five-star guard who committed to Rutgers this week.