Tag: Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey

Dorian Jones, a 4-star guard, has Rutgers basketball in his final four

Dorian Jones has a final four that includes Rutgers basketball.

Ahead of a commitment next week, Dorian Jones has a final four that includes Rutgers basketball.

Rutgers is one of three Big Ten programs to make the cutdown for Jones, who is one of the top players in the nation in the class of 2025. He is a 6-foot-1 guard from Richmond Heights (Cleveland, Ohio).

The final four from Jones included Michigan, Missouri and Ohio State in addition to Rutgers. He also has a commitment date of July 1.

Rivals ranks Jones as the No. 67 recruit in the nation and the No. 15 shooting guard in his class. He is an explosive athlete on the dribble with the ability to pull up and knock down from range.

Jones is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and can create his own shot, get to the rim or knock down an open three. He is a pest defensively with a high work rate.

His final four was broken by Joe Tipton of On3:

 

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The Rutgers 2024 recruiting class is top 10 nationally and includes five-star forward [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag] and five-star guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag].

Rutgers basketball: Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper were named to the Naismith Boy’s Midseason Team

Rutgers 2024 recruits Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were named to the Naismith Trophy Boy’s High School Player of the Year Midseason Team.

Two Rutgers basketball commits were named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Boy’s High School Player of the Year Midseason Team.

The prestigious national honors went out to Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who are five-star commits and part of the 2024 recruiting class.

It wasn’t a surprise to see either player make the cut.

Harper is the No. 1 prospect in New Jersey, the No. 1 guard in his recruiting class, and the No. 2 ranked prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard has averaged 29 points per game this season for Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ), ranking No. 2 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for scoring.

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Throughout his career, Harper has been one of the most productive players in high school basketball, showing off his size, very long arms, and scoring in the backcourt. The five-star recruit is a true combo guard who is effective on or off the ball.

As for Ace Bailey, the five-star recruit is the No. 1 prospect in Georgia, the No. 1 small forward in his recruiting class, and the No. 3 ranked prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports.

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The 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward has terrific size and athleticism on the wing. He plays way above the rim, scoring and grabbing multiple rebounds. Bailey can shoot the rock and facilitate the basketball when needed.

With Harper and Bailey reporting to campus next season, the sky is the limit for Rutgers basketball in 2024-25.

 

Rutgers basketball commit Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey shows off his NBA read moves with a clutch game winner

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey made a clutch game winner over the weekend.

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey is the real deal, as the Rutgers basketball signee hit the game winner for his team over the weekend. And Bailey made it look super smooth in the process.

Bailey is a five-star forward who made everything official with Rutgers during the early signing period. At 6-foot-9, the McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) talent is a very smooth and effortless player.

Bailey is the No. 3 recruit in the nation per ESPN.

He certainly made this shot from the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions (played at the Great Southern Banks Arena in Springfield, Missouri) look quite natural.

Check out the shot here from Bailey. Just routine from the five-star forward:

 

Bailey’s show gave McEachern a 61-59 win over Edmond North (Edmond, Oklahoma). With the win, McEachern is now 13-4 on the season.

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One of the four losses came three weeks ago to No. 11 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey). In that game, Bailey played against his future Rutgers basketball teammate Dylan Harper, a five-star guard who committed to the program in mid-December.

On Sunday night, Harper had 22 points (8-for-18 shooting) along with seven rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes played. It wasn’t enough as Don Bosco lost 74-67 to Archbishop Stepinac in the Hoophall Classic.

Watch: Rutgers basketball commit Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey was unstoppable at the City of Palms Basketball Classic

Rutgers Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey is strong in the final game of the City of Palms Basketball Classic.

At what was a star-studded and deep field of talent at this week’s City of Palms Basketball Classic, there may not have been a single more dominant performance than that of Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey. The forward, a Rutgers basketball commit, was simply unstoppable on Saturday night.

Bailey finished his third game of the tournament with 38 points and 17 rebounds as McEachern (Powder Springs) took a 78-71 win over North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, North Carolina) in their final game of the holiday tournament.

The five-star forward is a consensus top-three player in the nation. He had a very strong tournament, including 24 points in the opener against Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey).

In that game, he played against friend and future Rutgers basketball teammate [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag].

 

The City of Palms Classic, celebrating its 50th year as a holiday basketball tournament, is held annually in Ft. Myers, Florida. It is one of the nation’s top high school basketball tournaments.

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Harper was outstanding as well in the tournament’s final game, putting up 33 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Don Bosco beat IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) 96-92.

 

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Harper is a fellow five-star who committed to Rutgers two weeks ago.

The City of Palms Basketball Classic has some incredible swag

The City of Palms Basketball Classic is giving out some sweet Nikes to the all-tournament team.

One of the premier high school basketball tournaments in the nation (OK, maybe the premier high school basketball tournament in the nation), the City of Palms Basketball Classic is big-time stuff. And the swag for the all-tournament team? Beyond impressive.

Some of the top players and teams in the country are competing this week in Ft. Myers, Florida at an event that rightly bills itself as the “No. 1 holiday high school basketball tournament in the USA.”

Well, they certainly talk the talk. And after a look at these Nikes, when they walk the walk they do so in style.

Members of the all-tournament team will receive an exclusive pair of Sabrina 1’s as part of the honor.

 

Featured this week at the tournament are some of the top recruits in the nation including:

  • Duke commit [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] (No. 1 overall recruit)
  • Rutgers commit [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag] (No. 2 overall recruit)
  • Rutgers commit [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag] (No. 3 overall recruit)

Not a typo. Rutgers has two of the top three players in the nation as part of their 2024 recruiting class.

Dylan Harper, the nation’s second-best high school recruit, puts up huge numbers in season opener

Rutgers basketball commit Dylan Harper started the season off strong for Don Bosco Prep.

Five-star basketball recruit Dylan Harper certainly started the season off strong. The Rutgers basketball commit scored early and he scored often in his season opener.

Harper, who committed to Rutgers just last week, showed efficiency in scoring in multiple ways and handling the offense well for Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey). Don Bosco rolled to a 67-40 win over Eastside (Paterson, New Jersey). Don Bosco was up 50-12 at halftime as they cruised to the win.

Playing in just the first half, Harper was 9-of-12 for 22 points. The scoring from the guard started just 10 seconds into the game.

 

Harper made his commitment last week at the Fanatics headquarters building in New York City (fitting since he signed a Name, Image and Likeness deal with Fanatics on the same day). He had a final five that included Duke, Auburn, Kansas, and Indiana in addition to Rutgers.

 

Don Bosco next plays McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) in the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. McEachern is powered by five-star forward [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag], who committed to Rutgers in January.

With Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, where does Rutgers basketball’s recruiting class rank now?

The Rutgers basketball recruiting class made a predictable jump this week in the national recruiting rankings.

With the commitment of Dylan Harper on Wednesday, Rutgers now has two players in their 2024 recruiting class ranked as five-star prospects. Considering that Rutgers has never had one commit ranked as a five-star, this is certainly some rarified air for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers and Duke are the only two teams in the country to each have two players committed and signed in the top 15 of the ESPN rankings.

Here is how the three major recruiting services (Rivals, 247Sports and On3) have Rutgers ranked following the commitment of Harper:

  • Rivals has the Rutgers class as second-in-the-nation, headlined of course by the five-star duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Rutgers is lifted in the rankings by a third player, Lathan Sommerville, who is a four-star and the No. 101 player in the nation. Sommerville, a summer commit to Rutgers, is an impressive center who moves well and has very good range in his offensive game.
  • In the 247Sports rankings, the commitment of Harper saw Rutgers shoot up eight spots. The Scarlet Knights are now third in the nation per the 247Sports rankings, sitting behind Duke and Kentucky. They are one of just four programs with multiple five-star commits.
  • On3 is a bit lower on Rutgers, ranking the class sixth in the nation. The major reason is that while Harper and Bailey are both five-star recruits, On3 doesn’t rank any of the other three commits in the class as either four-star players or top 100 recruits nationally.

Bailey and Harper will play at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Dec. 29 in ‘The Battle in New Jeersey.’ The high school tournament, hosted by Rutgers, will feature 10 top-tier teams.

Rutgers basketball just lost (badly) to Wake Forest. Who cares? Because 5-star forward commit Ace Bailey can do this (watch!)

Ace Bailey showed why he is such a special recruit this past Tuesday.

Rutgers basketball just didn’t look very good on Wednesday night in a 76-57 loss at Wake Forest. But truthfully, it doesn’t matter. Not with the recruiting class coming in for Rutgers, one that is highlighted by a pair of five-star commits in guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey.

And while Harper, the No. 2 player in the nation, just committed to Rutgers on Wednesday afternoon, it is Bailey who might be the most intriguing player in this class for Rutgers. Harper is a fantastic player, who had a final five that included Duke and Kansas among others.

But it is Bailey’s athleticism and explosiveness is virtually unmatched in high school basketball.

Bailey is able to play above the rim, with his length and vertical ability making him a match-up nightmare anywhere in the post. And he can jump out of the proverbial gym, which makes him quite a threat in transition.

Check out these recent highlights from Bailey, who had 41 points and 26 rebounds for McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia). McEachern won 84-64 on Tuesday night over Pebblebrook (Mableton, Georgia).

 

Lest we forget that ESPN ranks Bailey as the third-best player in the nation.

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The sheer athleticism shown on Tuesday but Bailey is impressive, but seeing his growth in particular his range (being able to stop and drop a three is really nice from a high school player) is especially enticing for Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights got two elite players in Harper and Bailey. Sometimes in the pursuit of Harper, it is easy to forget how good Bailey is.

Report: 5-star guard Dylan Harper is set to make his college announcement on Wednesday

Dylan Harper is set to make a big decision that will impact Rutgers basketball.

One of the top recruits in the 2024 recruiting class, five-star guard Dylan Harper, will be making his college decision official on Wednesday. Harper is the top-ranked player in New Jersey and has been a priority recruit for Rutgers for the past two years.

Harper is in his senior season at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey).

A report from On3 on Monday night said that Harper will be making his announcement this Wednesday. The final five programs are Duke, Rutgers, Auburn, Kansas, and Indiana.

Harper is the second-highest-ranked recruit in the nation according to On3 and ESPN. He is a consensus five-star. He is tight with five-star forward [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag], who is committed and signed to Rutgers as part of the 2024 class.

Bailey is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with Rutgers in program history. He is a consensus top-five player in the nation.

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The Scarlet Knights currently have the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports.

Harper is a legacy at Rutgers. His brother, Ron Harper Jr., was one of the players who came into Rutgers and helped turn the program around.

Watch: Rutgers basketball commit, 5-star Ace Bailey, has been dominant to start his senior season

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey, a Rutgers basketball commit, has been dominant his senior season.

Freshly signed with Rutgers basketball, Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey is showing zero signs of letting up in his final season of high school basketball.

A five-star forward from McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia, Bailey signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) last weekend to play for Rutgers. He is the highest ranked player to commit to Rutgers let alone sign with the Scarlet Knights.

According to ESPN, Bailey is the No 3 recruit in the nation. He is a part of a Rutgers class that is a consensus top-10 group.

He has had a very strong start to his senior season, one that has showcased his athleticism and versatility:


Last week, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell was asked about Bailey’s signing with Rutgers. It was the first time that Pikiell was able to talk about Bailey publicly since the commit made it official during the early signing period.

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“Ace is a s special talent. Loyal, great family, great work ethic,” Pikiell told reporters.

“It just shows you where Rutgers is, I think that’s important We’re a great academic school, we play in a great league. We sell out, we have great crowds.

“To be able to get a player like that will be fun. People will really like watching him play.”

 

Bailey is one of four players who have signed letters of intent to join Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are still waiting on five-star guard Dylan Haper, who is the second highest-ranked recruit in the nation, to make his college decision.

Rutgers is very much in the mix for Harper.

Over the weekend, Rutgers improved to 4-1 on the season with a win over Howard.