Duke<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n“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.”<\/p>\n
Dylan Harper and NJ basketball history<\/p>\n
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) \u2013 see full list of Rutgers draftees below.<\/p>\n
He is the 22nd former New Jersey college basketball player to be drafted in the first round \u2013 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).<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
Harper, who nearly attended Duke but chose Rutgers instead while earning McDonald\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 a shocking development given the hype surrounding Harper and teammate Ace Bailey. Both earned third-team All-Big Ten honors.<\/p>\n
The Scarlet Knights\u2019 disappointing campaign did nothing to diminish Harper\u2019s standing in the eyes of NBA scouts, who see the raw material for an All-NBA playmaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cDylan does more things than just shoot; he can get to the basket, he can create for others, he has the (family) pedigree,\u201d said Daniel Marks, the former manager of prospect information for the Milwaukee Bucks, who currently is the chief program strategist for Howard University men\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 \u2013 he\u2019s just a natural.\u201d<\/p>\n
NJ college players selected in first round of NBA Draft<\/p>\n
1948:<\/strong> Bobby Wanzer (Seton Hall), drafted No. 10 by Rochester<\/p>\n1949:<\/strong> Pep Saul (Seton Hall), drafted No. 12 by Rochester<\/p>\n1953: <\/strong>Walter Dukes (Seton Hall), drafted No. 2 by New York<\/p>\n1953: <\/strong>Richie Regan (Seton Hall), drafted No. 4 by Rochester<\/p>\n1965: <\/strong>Bill Bradley (Princeton), drafted No. 3 by New York<\/p>\n1970: <\/strong>Geoff Petrie (Princeton), drafted No. 8 by Portland<\/p>\n1970: <\/strong>John Hummer (Princeton), drafted No. 15 by Buffalo<\/p>\n1976: <\/strong>Armond Hill (Princeton), drafted No. 9 by Atlanta<\/p>\n1977:<\/strong> Glenn Mosley (Seton Hall), drafted No. 20 by Philadelphia<\/p>\n1979: <\/strong>James Bailey (Rutgers), drafted No. 6 overall by Seattle<\/p>\n1983: <\/strong>Roy Hinson (Rutgers), drafted No. 20 overall by Cleveland<\/p>\n1988: <\/strong>Mark Bryant (Seton Hall), drafted No. 21 by Portland<\/p>\n1989: <\/strong>John Morton (Seton Hall), drafted No. 25 by Cleveland<\/p>\n1991: <\/strong>Anthony Avent (Seton Hall), drafted No. 15 by Atlanta<\/p>\n1993: <\/strong>Terry Dehere (Seton Hall), drafted No. 13 by LA Clippers<\/p>\n1993: <\/strong>Luther Wright (Seton Hall), drafted No. 18 by Utah<\/p>\n2001:<\/strong> Eddie Griffin (Seton Hall), drafted No. 7 by New Jersey<\/p>\n2001: <\/strong>Samuel Dalembert (Seton Hall), drafted No. 26 by Philadelphia<\/p>\n2003: <\/strong>Dahntay Jones (Rutgers\/Duke), drafted No. 20 by Boston<\/p>\n2006:<\/strong> Quincy Douby (Rutgers), drafted No. 19 by Sacramento<\/p>\n2008: <\/strong>Jason Thompson (Rider), drafted No. 12 by Sacramento<\/p>\n2025: <\/strong>Dylan Harper (Rutgers), drafted No. 2 by San Antonio<\/p>\n2025: <\/strong>Ace Bailey (Rutgers), drafted No. 5 by Utah<\/p>\nRutgers basketball players as NBA Draft picks<\/p>\n
2025:<\/strong> Dylan Harper (1st round, 2nd overall by San Antonio)<\/p>\n2025: <\/strong>Ace Bailey (1st round, 5th overall by Utah)<\/p>\n2024: <\/strong>Cam Spencer, who had transferred to UConn (2nd round, 53rd overall by Memphis)<\/p>\n2010: <\/strong>Hamady N\u2019Diaye (2nd round, 56th overall by Minnesota)<\/p>\n2006: <\/strong>Quincy Douby (1st round, 19th overall by Sacramento)<\/p>\n2004: <\/strong>Luis Flores, who had transferred to Manhattan (2nd round, 55th overall by Houston)<\/p>\n2003:<\/strong> Dahntay Jones, who had transferred to Duke (1st round, 20th overall by Boston)<\/p>\n1991: <\/strong>Keith Hughes (2nd round, 47th overall by Houston)<\/p>\n1987: <\/strong>Eric Riggins (3rd round, 62nd overall by Philadelphia)<\/p>\n1985: <\/strong>John Battle (4th round, 84th overall by Atlanta)<\/p>\n1985: <\/strong>Chris Remly (7th round, 162 overall by Boston)<\/p>\n1984:<\/strong> Jeff Allen, who had transferred to St. John\u2019s (3rd round, No. 56 overall by Kansas City)<\/p>\n1983: <\/strong>Roy Hinson (1st round, 20th overall by Cleveland)<\/p>\n1983:<\/strong> Kevin Black (9th round, 201st overall by New Jersey)<\/p>\n1982: <\/strong>Tim Byrne (9th round, 203rd overall by LA Lakers)<\/p>\n1981:<\/strong> Kelvin Troy (5th round, 113th overall by Milwaukee)<\/p>\n1980: <\/strong>Daryl Strickland (5th round, 105th overall by Washington)<\/p>\n1979: <\/strong>James Bailey (1st round, 6th overall by Seattle)<\/p>\n1978: <\/strong>Hollis Copeland (3rd round, 46th overall by Denver)<\/p>\n1977: <\/strong>Eddie Jordan (2nd round, 33rd overall by Cleveland)<\/p>\n1976: <\/strong>Mike Dabney (3rd round, 36th overall by LA Lakers)<\/p>\n1976: <\/strong>Phil Sellers (3rd round, 38th overall by Detroit)<\/p>\n1969: <\/strong>Bob Greacen (2nd round, 17th overall by Milwaukee)<\/p>\n1969: <\/strong>Dick Stewart (10th round, 137th overall by Atlanta)<\/p>\n1967: <\/strong>Bob Lloyd (7th round, 69th overall by Detroit)<\/p>\n1960: <\/strong>Don Parsons (6th round, 67th overall by New York)<\/p>\nJerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at\u00a0jcarino@gannettnj.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coach Pikiell praises Dylan Harper\u2019s NBA-ready game and rare versatility Dylan Harper\u2019s unique skill set, NBA bloodline, and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[1632,15741,15749,5229,4231,1625,2605,1339,11651,11654,1540,15427,960,3127,13593,2871,1369,3189,1449,3129,15743,7232,1629,15750,13821,11652,12356,15738,8604,4230,3141,15739,1571,5382,1260,2629,635,401,50,15747,15753,15746,450,1457,15740,1451,15745,15752,14149,15748,1624,7202,3138,7203,15737,15744,15751,3190,62,1458,7199,358,3187,15742,67,586,132,5230,4280,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-15732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-1632","9":"tag-amateur","10":"tag-amateur-athletic-union","11":"tag-america","12":"tag-angeles","13":"tag-antonio","14":"tag-athletic","15":"tag-basketball","16":"tag-big","17":"tag-big-10-hub","18":"tag-blue","19":"tag-bulls","20":"tag-chicago","21":"tag-chicago-bulls","22":"tag-cleveland","23":"tag-college","24":"tag-college-sports","25":"tag-content","26":"tag-detroit","27":"tag-detroit-pistons","28":"tag-devils","29":"tag-draft","30":"tag-duke","31":"tag-duke-blue-devils-mens-basketball","32":"tag-hall","33":"tag-hub","34":"tag-jersey","35":"tag-knights","36":"tag-lakers","37":"tag-los","38":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","39":"tag-mens","40":"tag-national","41":"tag-national-sports","42":"tag-nba","43":"tag-nba-draft","44":"tag-new","45":"tag-new-jersey","46":"tag-news","47":"tag-nj","48":"tag-nj-content-sharing","49":"tag-oh","50":"tag-overall","51":"tag-overall-positive","52":"tag-pistons","53":"tag-positive","54":"tag-princeton","55":"tag-princeton-university","56":"tag-rutgers","57":"tag-rutgers-scarlet-knights-mens-basketball","58":"tag-san","59":"tag-san-antonio","60":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","61":"tag-sanantonio","62":"tag-scarlet","63":"tag-seton","64":"tag-seton-hall-university","65":"tag-sharing","66":"tag-sports","67":"tag-sports-news","68":"tag-spurs","69":"tag-texas","70":"tag-tx","71":"tag-union","72":"tag-united-states","73":"tag-united-states-of-america","74":"tag-unitedstates","75":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","76":"tag-university","77":"tag-us","78":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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