Coach Pikiell praises Dylan Harper’s NBA-ready game and rare versatility
Dylan Harper’s unique skill set, NBA bloodline, and work ethic have him primed for the pros.
NEW YORK – It was a moment everyone has seen coming for a while now, but a historic one nonetheless.
Dylan Harper, the Bergen County basketball prodigy who starred at Don Bosco Prep and played one high-profile season at Rutgers University, was selected No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-6 point guard is the first New Jersey college basketball alum ever to be drafted this high (under an old format, Seton Hall’s Walter Dukes and Princeton’s Bill Bradley were pre-draft territorial picks in 1953 and 1965, respectively). A few minutes after he took the stage, his former Rutgers teammate and classmate Ace Bailey was chosen No. 5 overall by the Utah Jazz, adding more history to Jersey’s college hardwood annals.
“We took a chance on Rutgers,” Harper said. “I think me and (Bailey) probably got the best experience we could have got out of it just from the standpoint of the highs and lows and the great people taking care of us. I feel like the Spurs are definitely just like that, but just a different level, next level. Just great people around.”
Harper’s selection marks a continuation of the family business. Father Ron Harper was chosen No. 8 overall in the 1986 draft by Cleveland after playing collegiately at Miami of Ohio. He famously went on to win five NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers. Older brother, Ron Harper Jr. is on a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons and has appeared in 11 NBA games since graduating from Rutgers in 2022.
“This definitely means a lot to (my dad) and a lot to my mom, my grandparents, my brother and everyone else who’s been there, because they’ve seen me through the journey,” Harper said before the draft. “I got to see my brother’s journey from the time he was young to the time he was ready to go to the league – seeing his journey really helped me and showed me how hard you have to work.”
After Dylan was drafted, he offered special words for his mother Maria Harper, a former college baller who taught him the game and coached him in AAU.
“She means the world to me,” he said. “She’s been coaching me from like first grade all the way tosenior year of high school. For her to see this moment and just to be there for my journey and see all the good and all the bad, it probably means the world to her just as much as me. I love my mom. Everything I do is definitely for her.”
Duke forward Cooper Flagg was chosen No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks as expected. The only real surprise at the top of the draft was Bailey going No. 5 to Utah. There were pre-draft reports about Bailey’s representatives trying to engineer a landing spot elsewhere.
“I love that guy, man,” Harper said. “Y’all understand the stuff he’s been through, all the bad talk, everyone talking about him. He just continues to put a smile on his face every day, and every day no matter what’s going on. I’m so happy for him. The sky’s the limit.”
Dylan Harper and NJ basketball history
Dylan Harper is the 25th former Rutgers player to be drafted and the fifth first-rounder, joining Quincy Douby (19th overall 2006), Dahntay Jones (20th overall in 2003), Roy Hinson (20th overall 1983) and James Bailey (sixth overall in 1979) – see full list of Rutgers draftees below.
He is the 22nd former New Jersey college basketball player to be drafted in the first round – the first since Rider forward Jason Thompson, who went No. 12 overall to the Kings in 2008. (See the full list of New Jersey college alums who were first rounders below).
The last native New Jerseyan to be chosen this high in the draft was Piscataway resident and St. Joseph-Metuchen High School grad Karl-Anthony Towns, who went No. 1 to the Timberwolves in 2015 (and is now with the Knicks).
Harper, who nearly attended Duke but chose Rutgers instead while earning McDonald’s All-America honors as a senior at Don Bosco Prep, averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a freshman with the Scarlet Knights, shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
He missed three games and was limited in three others due to a midseason bout of the flu and an ankle sprain. Rutgers finished 15-17 and did not contend for the NCAA Tournament – a shocking development given the hype surrounding Harper and teammate Ace Bailey. Both earned third-team All-Big Ten honors.
The Scarlet Knights’ disappointing campaign did nothing to diminish Harper’s standing in the eyes of NBA scouts, who see the raw material for an All-NBA playmaker.
“Dylan does more things than just shoot; he can get to the basket, he can create for others, he has the (family) pedigree,” said Daniel Marks, the former manager of prospect information for the Milwaukee Bucks, who currently is the chief program strategist for Howard University men’s basketball.
“He’s got size at 6-6 and a strong body, is a pretty good athlete, can score at all three levels. Obviously he has the pedigree with his dad’s career, so he’s been around the (pro) game. Having those lead guards that can anchor a team offensively is so valuable. The ability to play both positions, the scoring instincts – he’s just a natural.”
NJ college players selected in first round of NBA Draft
1948: Bobby Wanzer (Seton Hall), drafted No. 10 by Rochester
1949: Pep Saul (Seton Hall), drafted No. 12 by Rochester
1953: Walter Dukes (Seton Hall), drafted No. 2 by New York
1953: Richie Regan (Seton Hall), drafted No. 4 by Rochester
1965: Bill Bradley (Princeton), drafted No. 3 by New York
1970: Geoff Petrie (Princeton), drafted No. 8 by Portland
1970: John Hummer (Princeton), drafted No. 15 by Buffalo
1976: Armond Hill (Princeton), drafted No. 9 by Atlanta
1977: Glenn Mosley (Seton Hall), drafted No. 20 by Philadelphia
1979: James Bailey (Rutgers), drafted No. 6 overall by Seattle
1983: Roy Hinson (Rutgers), drafted No. 20 overall by Cleveland
1988: Mark Bryant (Seton Hall), drafted No. 21 by Portland
1989: John Morton (Seton Hall), drafted No. 25 by Cleveland
1991: Anthony Avent (Seton Hall), drafted No. 15 by Atlanta
1993: Terry Dehere (Seton Hall), drafted No. 13 by LA Clippers
1993: Luther Wright (Seton Hall), drafted No. 18 by Utah
2001: Eddie Griffin (Seton Hall), drafted No. 7 by New Jersey
2001: Samuel Dalembert (Seton Hall), drafted No. 26 by Philadelphia
2003: Dahntay Jones (Rutgers/Duke), drafted No. 20 by Boston
2006: Quincy Douby (Rutgers), drafted No. 19 by Sacramento
2008: Jason Thompson (Rider), drafted No. 12 by Sacramento
2025: Dylan Harper (Rutgers), drafted No. 2 by San Antonio
2025: Ace Bailey (Rutgers), drafted No. 5 by Utah
Rutgers basketball players as NBA Draft picks
2025: Dylan Harper (1st round, 2nd overall by San Antonio)
2025: Ace Bailey (1st round, 5th overall by Utah)
2024: Cam Spencer, who had transferred to UConn (2nd round, 53rd overall by Memphis)
2010: Hamady N’Diaye (2nd round, 56th overall by Minnesota)
2006: Quincy Douby (1st round, 19th overall by Sacramento)
2004: Luis Flores, who had transferred to Manhattan (2nd round, 55th overall by Houston)
2003: Dahntay Jones, who had transferred to Duke (1st round, 20th overall by Boston)
1991: Keith Hughes (2nd round, 47th overall by Houston)
1987: Eric Riggins (3rd round, 62nd overall by Philadelphia)
1985: John Battle (4th round, 84th overall by Atlanta)
1985: Chris Remly (7th round, 162 overall by Boston)
1984: Jeff Allen, who had transferred to St. John’s (3rd round, No. 56 overall by Kansas City)
1983: Roy Hinson (1st round, 20th overall by Cleveland)
1983: Kevin Black (9th round, 201st overall by New Jersey)
1982: Tim Byrne (9th round, 203rd overall by LA Lakers)
1981: Kelvin Troy (5th round, 113th overall by Milwaukee)
1980: Daryl Strickland (5th round, 105th overall by Washington)
1979: James Bailey (1st round, 6th overall by Seattle)
1978: Hollis Copeland (3rd round, 46th overall by Denver)
1977: Eddie Jordan (2nd round, 33rd overall by Cleveland)
1976: Mike Dabney (3rd round, 36th overall by LA Lakers)
1976: Phil Sellers (3rd round, 38th overall by Detroit)
1969: Bob Greacen (2nd round, 17th overall by Milwaukee)
1969: Dick Stewart (10th round, 137th overall by Atlanta)
1967: Bob Lloyd (7th round, 69th overall by Detroit)
1960: Don Parsons (6th round, 67th overall by New York)
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.