Last week, Dylan Harper made the 12-man roster for USA Basketball’s junior national team. The entire experience has been a strong one for Harper, who is the top-ranked recruit in New Jersey in the class of 2024 and is a priority recruit for Rutgers basketball.
Harper is highly sought-after five-star guard from Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) who was recently ranked the top player in the nation by On3. He made it through several series of cutdowns over the past two weeks during a USA Basketball training camp in Colorado
Speaking last week before the final roster cutdown, Harper acknowledged the hard work that went into making it this far with USA Basketball.
“It’s a great feeling just because knowing all the hard work I put into the game, I put into myself…all the distractions I put up with just to hoop,” Harper told Rutgers Wire last week.
“It’s a milestone, but it’s not the end goal. I’m going to put my head down, keep working, that’s really the main goal for me.”
Harper said that he plans on taking all of his official visits with Auburn and Kansas likely to get visits in the fall. He plans on deciding at some point during his senior season.
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There is also the added dimension, Harper admits, of playing for New Jersey. One of the top states in terms of producing Division I talent, New Jersey has been a pipeline to a number of top programs over the years.
Harper, as the top-ranked player in the state and a consensus five-star recruit, acknowledges that there is a certain burden he carries for New Jersey when he steps out on the court.
“It’s a great representation not just for. (me) – I’m not just playing for myself or my family,” Harper said,
“I’m out here playing for all Jersey and everything I stand for.”
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