Tag: Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey

When will 5-star forward Ace Bailey sign for Rutgers basketball?

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey makes his signing day plans known.

It appears that Rutgers basketball is set to officially land the biggest recruit in program history. Overnight, five-star forward Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey announced his signing day plans.

Bailey is a consensus five-star recruit. He is a 6-foot-9 forward from McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Georgia).

ESPN ranks him as the No. 3 player in the nation in the 2024 recruiting class.

After a week of whispers and speculation about if Bailey will sign and if the destination would be Rutgers, it appears that the hand-wringing can stop for a moment.

On Wednesday night, Bailey announced that his signing will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8:30 PM ET. The event is scheduled for following McEachern’s season opener against Grayson (Loganville, Georgia).

From a Rutgers perspective, it is certainly good news that the Scarlet Knights are featured prominently in his social media post:

 

On Wednesday, three-star forward Bryce Dortch signed with Rutgers, becoming the first official member of the 2024 class.

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Rutgers now waits on five-star guard Dylan Harper from Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey). Harper is the second-highest-ranked recruit in the nation according to 247Sports.

He remains uncommitted with offers including Duke, Indiana and Kansas among others.

 

Watch: Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper in action from this weekend

Dylan Harper and Airious Bailey team up together this past weekend.

Rutgers basketball fans may have gotten a taste of the future this weekend when Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper teamed up once again.

Bailey, a five-star forward and a Rutgers basketball commit, played on the same Athletes of Tomorrow (A.O.T.). team as Harper. A guard at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Harper has Rutgers in his final five programs.

Playing against the Georgia Stars, the duo of Bailey and Harper looked strong and very much in sync. Harper was very impressive, showing his ability to create his own shot and an accurate pull-up jumper that is impossible to defend against.

Bailey, a long stretch four, ran the court very well for A.O.T. He played well above the rim and was very strong in transition. He is the second-highest ranked recruit in the nation according to ESPN.

Harper is currently ESPN’s No. 1 player in the nation.

Check out the highlights from the performance of Bailey and Harper over the weekend:

(h/t to Cam Ruiz and his YouTube channel for the excellent highlights)

Rutgers currently has a strong 2024 recruiting class that is ranked second-best in the nation according to Rivals.

A.O.T. is based in Georgia.

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Shelton Henderson breaks down Rutgers basketball offer, talks visits

Rutgers basketball recently offered Shelton Henderson, a guard from Texas.

Shelton Henderson was offered by Rutgers men’s basketball last week, giving the Texas guard his first Big Ten offer. He now begins the process of getting to know the program as well as head coach Steve Pikiell’s staff.

A 6-foot-5 guard from Bellaire High School (Bellaire, TX), Henderson has been offered by programs such as Arkansas State, Houston, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU and Texas A&M, added the Scarlet Knights. Bellaire went 17-8 last season.

He is a class of 2025 recruit.

In talking with Rutgers Wire on Wednesday, Henderson gave an update on his recruitment. He discussed where things stand right now following his Rutgers offer last week.

“They came to one of my games at Peach Jam and I played really well and after the game they talked to my mom for a pretty long time,” Henderson told Rutgers Wire.

“And they talked about how they liked my game and physicality and later that day coach Knight (assistant coach Brandin Knight) would be the one to offer me.”

Henderson admits he is in the early process of learning about Rutgers and the program.

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“I don’t really know too much but I know that they are good at developing their players and they are in a great conference with good competition,” Henderson said.

He plans on taking unofficial visits soon to Houston, Texas and LSU. A visit to Rutgers is something he would like to do but he is uncertain about scheduling that one.

As for where things currently stand in his recruitment, Henderson said three programs have been showing him the most love right now. Two of the three are in his home state.

“I would say (the) University of Houston, TCU, and UCF are on me the hardest,” Henderson said.

“And SMU has been consistent.”

Rutgers basketball has a 2024 recruiting class that currently features five-star [autotag]Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey[/autotag]. It is the second-highest-ranked class in the nation.

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Watch: Rutgers five-star commit Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey is dominant

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey shines in the Tipoff Classic.

Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey, the highest ever recruit to commit to Rutgers basketball, put out a series of strong performances last week that helped cement him as one of the top high school basketball players in the nation.

A 6-foot-9 forward from McEachern High School (Powder Springs, GA), Bailey is a consensus five-star player. He is also a top-three recruit according to all four prominent recruiting outlets.

Bailey has great length, handles the ball well and is dynamic in getting to the hoop. He takes effortless long strides, is strong defensively in the paint, showed some nice moves in the post and has the ability to score in multiple ways.

At the recently concluded Tipoff Classic in Atlanta, Bailey showcased his strength as well as athleticism. It is hard to watch these highlights and not be impressed with how polished he is as a player.

 

Bailey is most explosive in the open court, where he is strong in transition and getting to the rim.

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Last month, he was part of the USA Basketball U19 national team camp. Bailey did not make the team but Dylan Harper did.

A Rutgers basketball recruit, Harper is a five-star who is from New Jersey. He talked with Rutgers Wire about his relationship with Bailey, who he said is recruiting him for the Scarlet Knights.

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Dylan Harper interview: On his relationship with Air Bailey and possibly suiting up for Rutgers basketball

Dylan Harper talks Rutgers basketball, his thoughts on staying home and Air Bailey.

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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