Tag: Rutgers basketball recruiting

Rutgers basketball recruiting – Deron Rippey Jr. moves up in the national rankings

Deron Rippey Jr. has moved up the national rankings.

Deron Rippey Jr. is seeing his recruitment take off, with the New Jersey class of 2026 prospect shooting up the national rankings. He is one of the top recruitings targets for Rutgers in the 2026 class.

Rippey, who visited Rutgers in February for an 82-52 win over Michigan, is a 6-foot-2 guard from Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey).  A strong summer has translated to a nice rise in the recruiting rankings for one of the top guards in the nation.

The move up the rankings sees Rippey jump from No. 39 in the nation to now being No. 21 in the 247Sports Rankings. He is the top-ranked player in New Jersey

He has an offer list that includes Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Maryland, St. John’s, Providence, Syracuse, TCU, Villanova and West Virginia among others.

In March, Rippey talked with Rutgers Wire about his official visit to the Big Ten program.

“It’s been surprising to see how much coach Pike has been keeping up on my game and my development. I knew that he came to watch some of my games.

“But I didn’t know that he’s been recruiting me for a long time, been watching some of my games and film and that he knew about my development,” Rippey told Rutgers Wire in mid-March.

“And also just the way they play. Coming into the game, I thought it’d be a good rivalry between Rutgers and Michigan.

“Michigan has always been really good, but just seeing how Rutgers – like they took the game seriously and they’re very competitive. It really surprised me. It honestly makes me excited to see how much they’re growing. You know, like Michigan is a major school, just seeing Rutgers be able to overpower (them)…it was just interesting to see how much they’re growing. And even in the next few years like, Dylan (Harper) being committed – just to see the growth is pretty amazing.”

Rutgers currently has a top-10 recruiting class with the five-star duo of freshmen [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag] already on campus.

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ESPN ranks Rippey as the No. 40 player in their ESPN 60 rankings.

What are the details for 4-star Jaylen Harrell and his commitment ceremony?

Jaylen Harrell is set to make his college announcement on Monday.

Jaylen Harrell announced the time and details for his commitment ceremony. With Rutgers basketball in the mix for the four-star forward, this is certainly a ceremony worth monitoring for the Big Ten program.

Harrell is one of the top recruits in the class of 2025. The 6-foot-8 forward from CATS Academy (Boston, Massachusetts) recently announced a top six of   Kansas, Alabama, Providence, Xavier, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.

If is from that top six which Harrell will commit on Monday, July 1.

He is a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 86 overall recruit in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Harrell will air his commitment via the On3 YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. ET.

He is the top-ranked player in Massachusetts according to 247Sports. He took an official visit to Rutgers in late January.

 

In March, he took official visits to Providence and Xavier.

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Rutgers is coming off a strong class of 2024 that is top-10 in the nation. The incoming class features two recruits who are ranked as five-star players in forward [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] and guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag].

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 makes the cutdown for Jaylen Harrell, commitment date approaches

Jaylen Harrell now has a top six that includes Rutgers basketball.

Jaylen Harrell, one of the top recruits in the class of 2025 and a priority recruit for Rutgers basketball, released his top cutdown on Monday.

And that top six from the 6-foot-8 forward from CATS Academy (Boston, Massachusetts) included Rutgers.

With a commitment date coming next week, Harrell has an impressive top six of Kansas, Alabama, Providence, Xavier and Virginia Tech in addition to Rutgers. ESPN ranks Harrell as a four-star and the second-best recruit in Massachusetts in his class as well as the No. 28 small forward in the nation.

According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Harrell is the top player in Massachusetts and the No. 86 overall recruit in the nation.

The announcement of the top six was made by On3 and analyst Joe Tipton:

 

Via Tipton, Harrell will make his college announcement on July 1.

Harrell took an official visit to Rutgers in January.

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He also held offers from Georgetown, UMass, Wake Forest and Washington among others.

Five-star Jordan Smith Jr. offered by Rutgers basketball

Jordan Smith Jr. is offered by Rutgers men’s basketball this week.

A big-time offer went out from Rutgers basketball this week to Jordan Smith Jr.

The Rutgers basketball recruiting target is part of the United States national team that will participate in the U17 FIBA World Cup.

A five-star guard from Paul VI Catholic (Fairfax, Virginia), Smith is the No. 8 player in the 247Sports Composite. He is the second-best shooting guard in the class of 2026 in the 247 rankings.

He is a class of 2026 recruit.

On3 ranks him as the top player in Virginia in their Industry Rankings and the seventh-best overall recruit nationally. He has a strong and well-rounded skill set, with the ability to put the ball on the floor and a very fluid shooting machine. He is silky smooth in transition.

Defensively, he works hard on and off the ball.

Not surprisingly, he has a strong offer list that includes Georgetown, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Ohio State, Tennessee, Villanova and Virginia Tech among others.

Smith posted about the offer from Rutgers via his social media on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Rutgers had an impressive class of 2024 that featured two recruits ranked as five-star prospects in forward Ace Bailey and guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag].

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The class was ranked top-10 nationally.

Jayden Xu on his recent Rutgers basketball visit

Jayden Xu talks about his Rutgers basketball visit.

Jayden Xu took a recent visit over the weekend to Rutgers basketball. The Big Ten program, Xu said, left a strong and positive impression.

Xu is a 6-foot-5 guard from California who is part of the class of 2025. He is an impressive outside shooter who is beginning to see his recruitment generate some serious interest from a number of top programs such as Rice, UCSD and Rice in addition to several Ivy League programs.

Over the weekend, Xu visited Princeton on Saturday and Rutgers on Monday.

Xu went into depth about his visit to Rutgers and how the Scarlet Knights were able to catch his attention.

“Rutgers really impressed me. Their top-tier practice facilities caught my eye and the way the players are taken care of as well,” Xu told Rutgers Wire.

“It isn’t a secret that being a basketball player at a program like Rutgers is an experience many dream about, and after my visit, I can definitely see why. Their program is run tightly and extremely professionally, which I personally admire.”

He is coming off a strong junior season for Santa Monica High School (Santa Monica, California) where he was named All-Bay League.

Xu boasts a 4.55 G.P.A. and the academics side, as well as on the court, drew his attention to Rutgers.

 

“I take a lot of pride in not just basketball, but my academic career as well and Rutgers seems to have pathways for student-athletes like me,” Xu said.

“Their business program was highly praised by coach Larkin (assistant coach Mike Larkin(  during the visit and it drew my attention as well as I could see myself becoming a business major down the line.”

Xu doesn’t have any other visits planned, but he did say that he enjoyed the visit to Princeton as well. The blend of academics and basketball is important to Xu.

 

“The Princeton visit last Saturday was amazing. Their campus is great and Jadwin Gym is a spectacle,” Xu said.

“They’ve been in contact with me for a while and I finally got a chance to meet them and get a feel for the school – which I loved. I’m trying to land a spot at a college with a good blend of both academic and basketball prowess. It’s not only about the next four years for me, it’s also about setting up for the next 40.”

Rutgers basketball recruiting – Nigel James cuts down to a top four

Nigel James has a cutdown to four teams.

Four-star guard Nigel James has a top four, with Rutgers basketball making the cutdown for one of the nation’s top players. Rutgers was the only Big Ten program to make the list.

In addition to Rutgers, James included Georgia, Georgia Tech and Marquette. He is a member of the class of 2025.

James is ranked the No. 76 player in the country in the ESPN 300 and the No. 16 point guard in this class. He attends Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, New York).

Programs such as Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Providence, St. John’s, Syracuse Wake Forest and Virginia Tech did not make the cutdown from James.

In October, James took an official visit to Rutgers. The top four was announced via On3:

 

Rutgers does not have any commits in the class of 2025.

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The class of 2024 was a tremendous one for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have a top-10 national class that features two players in forward Ace Bailey and point guard Dylan Harper who are each ranked as five-star recruits.

The Rutgers class is top three in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Watch as Ace Bailey enters autograph signing, daps up Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper

Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper meet fans, sign autographs on Saturday.

Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper had appearances on Saturday as the teammates held their first public autograph signings since signing with Rutgers basketball.

The five-star duo of Bailey and Harper are the highest-ranked players to ever commit to Rutgers. In fact, Bailey is the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to USA TODAY High School Sports.

Bailey and Harper both participated in an autograph signing at the Morris County Card Show on Saturday. The event was held at the Police Athletic League facility in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Well over 100 Rutgers fans lined up for both players. Harper signed in the morning and Bailey in the afternoon.

Bailey entered with his usual swagger:

 

And then he dapped up Harper:

 

Bailey and Harper are the focal points of a top-10 national recruiting class for Rutgers.

Rutgers basketball offers A.J. Dybantsa (the top recruit ’25 recruit in the nation)

A.J. Dybantsa is offered by Rutgers basketball.

On Wednesday, Rutgers basketball offered A.J. Dybantsa, the top-ranked player in the nation.

Dybantsa is a consensus five-star recruit and ranked the top player in the class of 2025 by ESPN. Thursday’s offer from Rutgers sees them join a recruitment that includes  Alabama, Baylor, UConn, Duke, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Providence and USC among others.

The talented guard is a potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick in 2026 and holds offers from many of the top programs in the nation. He brings a lot to the table, including the ability to score in bunches.

Last season for Prolific Prep, Dybantsa averaged 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He also added 29 steals and eight blocks to his resume. While he has made headlines due to his offense, Dybantsa also has the ability to be an elite defender at the next level.

He will transfer to play for Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah) for his senior season.

 

Getting involved with Dybantsa is certainly intriguing for Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights welcome a 2024 class that includes two five-stars in [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag] to campus this summer. Dybantsa is certainly of that caliber of player.

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Although the college basketball world will be watching what Dybantsa does closely, a decision is still months away. He is expected to pick several schools this summer and early late fall before making a final commitment.

TBT – Rutgers basketball incoming forward Ace Bailey is an explosive, elite athlete

Rutgers basketball’s Ace Bailey is a special and unique player.

On Throwback Thursday, a simple reminder of how special Ace Bailey is and what a special kind of talent he has the potential to be for Rutgers basketball.

Bailey, a consensus five-star forward, joins five-star guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag] as the foundation of a top-10 recruiting class for Rutgers basketball. The duo of Bailey and Harper mark the highest-ranked commits in the program’s history.

While playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Bailey showed off the uniqueness of his skillset. There is the high-flying Bailey who can play above the rim and can posterize opponents.

Then there is the Bailey who has grown his game to include an impressive outside game with considerable range.

These two components of Bailey’s game have been seen consistently from Bailey over the past year.

Here is the elite athleticism as Bailey gets to the rim:

 

And then there is Bailey in this cut-up, showing his athleticism and shot-blocking ability but also his range.

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Over the past year, Bailey has really developed a nice outside game.

 

USA TODAY High School Sports has Bailey as the top-ranked recruit in the nation.

And for the first time in New Jersey, the duo of Bailey and Harper will be together this weekend for an autograph signing in Parsippany as part of the Morris County Card Show:

Photo credit: Morris County Card Show.

This is the first public signing for either Bailey or Harper since they signed their National Letter of Intents with Rutgers.