Tag: Ron Harper Jr.

Rutgers basketball: Yahoo! Sports has Ron Harper as a second round pick

Ron Harper Jr. is taken in the second round of the latest NBA mock draft.

In the latest NBA mock draft from Yahoo! Sports, Rutgers basketball forward Ron Harper Jr. is off the board late in the second round.

The mock draft has Harper being taken No. 58 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Krysten Peek writes about Harper and what he brings to Cleveland as a second-round pick:

“He’s not afraid of the big moment and has a decent first step off the wing to get past defenders. Harper averaged 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this past season.”

Harper will go down as one of the best players in Rutgers men’s basketball history. He has been a clutch player almost from the get-go and has grown tremendously into not just a leader but also as a player capable of making big shots in big moments.

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He has good length and is a tremendous defender. Harper brings some positional versatility as he can play at the ‘two’ or the ‘three’ but can also defend some bigger forwards as well.

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Latest USA TODAY NBA mock draft has Ron Harper Jr. gone in the second round

Ron Harper Jr. is off the board in the latest USA TODAY FTW mock draft.

Former Rutgers basketball standout Ron Harper Jr. appears to be heading in the right direction according to most NBA mock drafts. The latest mock draft from USA TODAY’s For the Win has Harper going off the board late in the second round.

Harper gets taken at No. 57 by the Portland Trail Blazers in the FTW NBA mock draft.

Earlier last week, Bleacher Report had Harper going in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.

In his final season at Rutgers, Harper averaged 15.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds. He garnered national attention for his late-game, heroics including a nearly half-court shot to beat then No. 1 Purdue at the buzzer and then a late-game three-point shot to beat Indiana on the road.

Over the weekend, Harper worked out for the Charlotte Hornets and talked about the workout with the NBA squad:

“I’m trying to showcase my 3-point shooting capability, my consistency and most importantly, I feel like I’m trying to showcase my defensive versatility,” Harper said in a video released by the Hornets via their social media channels.

“The way I can defend multiple positions.”

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Watch: Ron Harper Jr. talks about his workout with the Charlotte Hornets

Former Rutgers basketball standout Ron Harper Jr. discusses his recent workout with the Charlotte Hornets.

Ron Harper Jr. had a workout with the Charlotte Hornets over the weekend, the former Rutgers forward believing that he showcased himself well during the event.

Harper was the only member of the Scarlet Knights basketball team to participate in last month’s NBA combine. He showed well at the event, likely solidifying himself as a second round pick.

Following this weekend’s workout with other NBA hopefuls, Harper called it a “great workout, we competed really hard” with the Hornets.

“I’m trying to showcase my 3-point shooting capability, my consistency and most importantly, I feel like I’m trying to showcase my defensive versatility,” Harper said in a video posted to social media by the Hornets.

“The way I can defend multiple positions.”

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Last season at Rutgers, Harper averaged 15.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds. The all-Big Ten selection was instrumental in leading Rutgers men’s basketball to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1976.

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Twitter reacts as Rutgers baseball was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament

Rutgers baseball didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, leading to plenty of anger on social media.

Rutgers baseball made the NCAA Tournament on Monday, the selection committee rewarding the Scarlet Knights for a second-place regular-season finish in the Big Ten as well as coming in second in the Big Ten Tournament. That’s some consistency right there.

That was supposed to be the introduction for yesterday’s piece heralding the return of Rutgers baseball to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, Rutgers baseball was left out with just two Big Ten programs being included this year.

It all led to quite a bit of consternation (that’s a polite way to say anger) on social media after Rutgers was left out.  Rutgers finished the season 44-15 (17-7 Big Ten) and with an RPI at No. 42.

It doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense and Rutgers fans on social media reacted as would be expected. Todd Frazier, for instance, made several tweets slamming the decision.

While the conspiracy theories and grassy knolls don’t quite hold up, it was clearly an unusual decision for the NCAA to overlook a strong and consistent regular season from Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights baseball program has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007.

A look at how everyone from WFAN’s Craig Carton to Rutgers baseball alum Todd Frazier reacted to yesterday’s news about the baseball team’s snub from the NCAA Tournament!

How did Rutgers basketball star Ron Harper Jr. test at the NBA combine?

Ron Harper Jr. is at the NBA combine this week.

Ron Harper Jr. is doing himself a solid one this week at the NBA combine. The Rutgers small forward is enhancing his draft stock with somegood showings on the court.

Last season, his fourth with Rutgers basketball, saw Harper average a career-high 15.8 points per game. He also had 5.9 rebounds per game.

This past week, Harper signed with an agent, signally that he isn’t going to return to college basketball.

Here is how Ron Harper Jr. measured up at the NBA combine:

  • Body-fat: 14.5 percent (third-highest)
  • Hand-size: 9.5 inches (second-largest)
  • Hand-width: 10 inches
  • Height (without shoes): 6’4.00
  • Height (with shoes): 6’5.50″
  • Standing reach: 8’9.50″
  • Weight: 240.4 pounds
  • Wingspan: 7’1.25″

Here is how Ron Harper Jr. tested in the speed and agility portion of the combine:

  • Lane agility time: 11.41 seconds (fastest time for a small forward was Julian Strawther at 10.3 seconds)
  • Shuttle run: 3.24 seconds (fastest time for a small forward was Leonard Miller at 3.02 seconds)
  • Three-quarter sprint: 3.4 seconds (fastest time for a small forward was Gabriele Procida at 3.07 seconds)
  • Standing vertical leap: 26 inches (longest leap for a small forward was Kendall Brown at 31.5 inches)
  • Max vertical leap: 30.5 inches (longest leap for a small forward was Kendall Brown at 41 inches)

All NBA combine numbers are courtesy of the NBA’s combine portal.

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Harper has been earning solid praise throughout the NBA combine.

 

In a recent interview, former NBA scout Michael VandeGarde, who spent 18 years scouting for the Philadelphia 76ers, had Harper as a second round pick.

Rutgers basketball: NBA scout weighs in on Ron Harper Jr.’s NBA draft outlook

Former Rutgers basketball star Ron Harper Jr. gets assessed by a former NBA scout.

Ron Harper Sr. declared officially for the NBA draft, the Rutgers star signing with an agent and closing out the chapter on his collegiate career.

A career that will go down among the best in Rutgers basketball history.

Harper was not only the team’s leading scorer, but he was also a quintessential leader who kept his cool in big moments throughout the season.

As for his NBA outlook, it appears that Harper has the makings of a draft pick. Just where he lands in the NBA draft depends on his performance at this week’s NBA combine as well as his individual workouts.

He is a solid shooter and a very good defender. Last month, RutgersWire asked Michaek VandeGarde his thoughts on Harper.

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An NBA scout with the Philadelphia 76ers for nearly two decades, VandeGarde sees some potential for the former Rutgers basketball standout.

“He has some upside if he gets in better shape or proves he can be an above average shooter,” VandeGarde said. “His pedigree makes me think he will work hard and improve his game…he is a senior already so that limits his upside compared to most draft picks…Someone could draft him mid to late second round but I think that is 50/50.”

VandeGarde spent 18 years with the 76ers organization as a scout. Currently, he is involved with CoachTube, a digital platform that offers sports coaching courses including former NFL head coaches, college basketball coaches and a variety of other notable sports personalities.

 

Now, as for VandeGarde’s assessment of Harper, it is certainly reflective of the overall thought process as reflected in many mock drafts.

Last season, Harper averaged 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in leading Rutgers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 1976. In his final game for Rutgers, an NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame, he scored 22 points and shot 57.1 percent from 3-point range.

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VandeGarde also mentioned Harper’s ‘pedigree.’

That pedigree is, of course, from his father, Ron Harper Sr. The elder Harper was a very, very good NBA player who won five NBA titles during his career.

It appears that twice, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…Dylan Harper, the younger brother of the Rutgers standout forward, is a four-star prospect at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.).

The sophomore is emerging as one of the top players in the state and holds an early offer from Rutgers in addition to several other Big Ten programs.

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Ron Harper Jr. will be part of the NBA draft combine

Rutgers basketball forward Ron Harper Jr. was invited to the NBA draft combine.

The NBA combine will include former Rutgers basketball star Ron Harper Jr.

Harper is the only member of the Rutgers basketball team invited to the combine event, which begins next week.

Senior guards Geo Baker and Caleb McConnell also decided to make a declaration to go professional. Like Harper, McConnell has the option to return to Rutgers if he does not hire an agent.

Freshman guard Jaden Jones also declared for the NBA draft.

Harper had 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a senior last season, his fourth at Rutgers. His play including being a tenacious defender helped Rutgers basketball to a second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

 

This past season, he set career-best marks in scoring (15.8 points per game), assists per game (1.9), three-point shooting percentage (39.8), field goal percentage (44.2) and free throw percentage (79.5).

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He is the son of Ron Harper Sr., a five-time NBA champion. His younger brother is Dylan Harper, who is turning into a priority recruit at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.).

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Sophomore Dylan Harper, brother of Rutgers standout Ron Harper Jr., adds three offers the past two weeks

Rutgers basketball recruit Dylan Harper has three big offers over the past two weeks.

Dylan Harper has seen his recruitment take off the past several weeks, with several bigtime offers rolling in for the class of 2024 guard.

A 6-foot-5 prospect out of Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Harper is a consensus four-star recruit. The 247Sports Composite lists him as the No. 33 player in the nation. He is the No. 3 player in New Jersey for his recruiting class.

And his recruitment is really starting to pick up in recent weeks.

Over the past two weeks, Harper has received offers from Indiana (April 24), Texas Tech (April 29) and Missouri (May 2).

In February, he was offered by Georgetown. Last season, he pulled in offers from Rutgers and St. Peter’s.

 

Don Bosco finished the season 23-5.

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Harper is the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr., the Rutgers basketball standout forward who declared for the NBA draft following this past season. His father is Ron Harper Sr. who starred in the NBA and won five NBA titles.

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Notre Dame beats Rutgers in double-overtime classic, makes Round of 64

The Irish signaled that March Madness has begun!

Call it cliche that Notre Dame’s First Four game against Rutgers was decided right as it became midnight on St. Patrick’s Day. Whatever label you want to give it, the result was the same. After battling with the Scarlet Knights for 40 regulation minutes and two overtimes, the Irish appeared headed to a third extra session in Dayton, Ohio. Instead, a Paul Atkinson Jr. putback with 1.4 seconds left gave the Irish an 89-87 win and a date with Alabama in the Round of 64.

This NCAA Tournament game featured numerous ties and lead changes with neither team gaining a serious advantage for a lengthy amount of time. Every time it appeared over, someone would knot up the score, a game-winner would be missed, and the contest would be extended. By the second overtime, you couldn’t have called yourself a real fan and not be tuned into truTV at that moment. You would have missed something epic.

With 41 seconds left, Prentiss Hubb sank two free throws to give the Irish (23-10) an 87-84 lead. Although the Scarlet Knights (18-14) didn’t necessarily need a 3-pointer yet, Ron Harper Jr. fired one from way downtown and made it to tie the game at 87 with 22 seconds remaining. With the shot clock now off, the Irish had the chance to play for the final shot. Blake Wesley milked the clock before driving for a layup that missed everything, but that led to Atkinson’s game-winning heroics.

Atkinson scored all of his points in the paint, and his 26 led all scorers. Nate Laszewski came off the bench and scored 18 points. Cormac Ryan scored 16 and also picked up a game-high three steals in a terrific defensive effort. Dane Goodwin had 12 points as he returned to his usual spot in the starting lineup.

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What we learned in Rutgers’ loss to DePaul

Back and forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.

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The Rutgers basketball squad represented the Big Ten in the finale of the Gavitt Games on Thursday Night against DePaul. Rutgers suffered their first loss of the season in this back and forth contest – 73-70 was the final.

After Xavier upset No. 19 Ohio State in the game prior, the Big East already took the Games with four victories, but the Scarlet Knights came up flat in their first loss of the year at the Blue Demons.

“They made some big shots down the stretch, and we made some big ones too,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “I liked the looks we got. They made some big plays.”

Rutgers had recently received votes in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. We will have to wit to see how the loss impacted their standings.

Undisciplined play is ultimately what did Rutgers in – they turned the ball over 12 times. “It’s disappointing. we didn’t block out better and we fouled too much in a one-possession game” Pikiell said. “Give them credit, they worked hard and made it tough for us. They were very aggressive. They were averaging 99 points coming into the game. Give them a tip of the hat.”

Back-and-forth is an understatement in this one. There were 16 lead changes and 11 ties for the national audience to enjoy. Let’s take a look at keys from the game.