On Tuesday night, Ace Bailey will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. The five-star forward will partner with future Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper in the game.
The five-star tandem of Bailey and Harper are among the best players in the nation in the 2025 recruiting class. They represent the highest-ranked recruiting class in Rutgers basketball history.
Bailey is the top-ranked player in the nation according to USA TODAY High School Sports. He will face off against Duke commit Cooper Flagg, the nation’s top-ranked player by all the other recruiting outlets.
Going up against Flagg will be a marquee measuring stick for Bailey, but it isn’t one that concerns him.
“I mean, I mean it is what it is, just come to play. Play my heart out. Play my game, just do what I do best,” Bailey said.
“So the end results are going to be the end results.”
Philosophical from Bailey if not level-headed.
Bailey will play on the West team and will count Harper as his teammate on Tuesday night and moving forward. Potentially, it is a preview of things to come for Rutgers fans.
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The duo of Bailey and Harper are the highest-ranked players to ever sign with Rutgers.
And with this star-studded class comes a lot of attention and buzz. For Bailey, speaking on Monday during a press conference for the McDonald’s All-American Game, the attention is something that leads him to be thankful.
“I mean, it’s a pleasure like I said, just thank God,” Bailey said.
“I mean for me and Dylan to come here – him being a New Jersey kid me being a Tennessee kid – just a blessing to come support and to show where we are going to bring Rutgers. It’s just a blessing.”