By MATT WHITFIELD
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Coaches from Duke, Kansas, Indiana and Rutgers all sat courtside on a rainy Sunday evening in Colorado Springs.
The coaches were vying for the most coveted basketball player in the Class of 2024, Don Bosco Prep and NY Rens guard Dylan Harper. The 6-foot-4 Harper, ranked the No. 1 combo guard in his class by 247Sports.com, is down to a final five of Duke, Kansas, Rutgers, Auburn and Indiana.
“Seeing them on the sideline really shows their commitment towards me,” Harper said Sunday night before he was officially named a finalist for the USA Basketball U19 team.
Thirteen years ago, another very special New Jersey guard in Kyrie Irving chose Duke over Seton Hall and many others. Harper realizes, however, the chance to play at home would be very special. “It would a great opportunity,” said Harper, who attended three Rutgers games this past season. “Everyone grows up wanting to be the hometown hero, so it would be a special opportunity.” Dylan’s older brother Ron Jr was a standout at Rutgers, helping lead the Scarlet Knights to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years in 2021. But Ron Jr. is staying neutral in Dylan’s recruitment. “Nah, not really,” Dylan said of whether his brother has a pitch. “He just told me wherever I go, it is my decision and he is going to support me either way,.” Rutgers does have an ace up their sleeve, though. “Probably every day [Ace Bailey tries recruiting me to Rutgers],” said Harper. “We are all in a group chat, me, him and a bunch of other players. We talk daily to see how were doing and he always sneaks that in somehow.” “I say ‘Fab Five,’ ‘When are you committing to Rutgers?’ stuff like that,” the 6-8 Bailey, a Rutgers commit in the Class of 2024, told NJ Advance Media last week by phone from McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. “But he already know, every time I come around, I crack a joke or two about it,” Bailey added. “We mostly don’t talk about basketball, we talk about life, period.”Finalists for the @usabjnt U19 team pic.twitter.com/RhWWEXCEZU
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 12, 2023
Having just lost both Cam Spencer (UConn) and Paul Mulcahy to the transfer portal, landing Harper in the next recruiting cycle would be a major coup for head coach Steve Pikiell and his staff. Harper says of his final five schools, that no school is recruiting him harder then the other. He also has no official visits planned at this time, although he said in April he hoped to visit Auburn, Kansas and Rutgers this summer. For now he just wants to work on his defense. “Being able to guard the best player on the other team every time,” he said. “I think that’s going to be the main factor for me in my senior year.” He hasn’t given a specific time frame on his decision, but has said he hopes to decide sometime after Peach Jam, which is in early July. This post was updated at 5:24 p.m. on June 12. Follow Matt on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookDuke and Rutgers side by side for @dy1anharper and others at @usabjnt via Matt Whitfield pic.twitter.com/cCygNOlPx7
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 12, 2023
