Despite being two years younger than many of his teammates, Dylan Harper is playing like a star in the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup. The New Jersey product, who is being heavily recruited by the likes of Rutgers, Duke and Indiana, has certainly not looked out of place for Team USA.
In four games played, Harper is averaging 8.0 points in 17.8 minutes per game as the Americans have had some up-and-down moments in this tournament.
In Wednesday’s win over China, the Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) standout had nine points on 2-of-6 shooting. He also added two assists, five rebounds and a steal in what was a 92-69 win.
Perhaps most impressive is how Harper has played with control and ease despite being surrounded by a number of his teammates being in college and his opposition very often featuring professional players.
To that point, in four games, Harper has just two personal fouls and two turnovers.
For the tournament as a whole, he is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
On Thursday, ESPN named Harper their top player and No. 1 overall recruit in the nation. The second-best player on that list? Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey, who committed to Rutgers in January.
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Harper has spoken positively about Rutgers, not a surprise given his close association with the program (his brother Ron Harper Jr. was a star at Rutgers before joining the Toronto Raptors last season).
The younger Harper has said he is intrigued by the idea of being a ‘hometown hero’ were he to commit to Rutgers.
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