Basketball runs by means of Dylan Harper’s blood. His father Ron Harper was a five-time NBA champion who remade his recreation from takeover scorer to caretaker level guard whereas taking part in alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O’Neal. Harper’s mom Maria may hoop, too: she performed faculty ball on the College of New Orleans after which severed on Dylan’s teaching staffs from an early age by means of highschool. His older brother Ron Harper Jr. is at the moment on two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Dylan adopted Ron Jr.’s footsteps when he dedicated to Rutgers. Along with his freshman season now over, the belief is that Harper will now go off to the NBA, the place he’s been projected because the No. 2 general choose within the 2025 draft for many of the yr.
SB Nation received the possibility to interview Harper by means of his March Insanity sponsorship with Kinder Bueno. Subjects included reflecting on his choice to select Rutgers over Duke and different energy applications, what his father handed down from taking part in with Jordan and Kobe, the most important misconceptions about his recreation, and his expertise taking part in with fellow prime choose Ace Bailey. The interview passed off simply earlier than Rutgers started play within the Large Ten match.
For extra March Insanity protection, take a look at SB Nation’s record of the 50 greatest gamers within the 2025 males’s NCAA match, plus our knowledgeable bracket predictions.
SBN: Most individuals have been shocked a five-star recruit would choose Rutgers over gives from Duke, Kansas, Auburn, and others. Why would you say you made that call, and a yr later, how do you suppose it labored out for you?
I imply, first off, coming right here was fairly simple for me, I feel. I wish to go household over every little thing. I’ve recognized the folks right here ceaselessly, Coach Pike, Coach B Knight, TJ Thompson the entire workers, simply how a lot love they create you in. They inform you they’re all the time gonna do proper by you it doesn’t matter what, and so they’re gonna be by your aspect even once you go away Rutgers. Stuff like that actually received me to return right here. And within the basketball aspect of it, why not need to be completely different? Clearly, I may have went to the locations you’re speaking about, nice applications, all respect to them, however I sort of needed to pave my very own means and do one thing completely different. Simply trying again at it now, I imply I wouldn’t my choice in any respect.
Clearly quite a lot of ups and downs, however that’s life. Life isn’t all the time gonna be good, you realize, simply little issues that that’s stored me pushing.
You’ve had the ball in your palms your complete season at Rutgers, posting one of many highest utilization charges among the many freshmen class. Possibly that wouldn’t have occurred a standard energy program. How do you suppose these reps have helped your recreation?
It’s positively helped me so much. Coach Pike did an ideal job believing in me from the start. Coach Pike referred to as me the day after the season ended final yr and stated that is your program. I’m placing the ball in your palms. You possibly can observe my lead. We gonna do that collectively as a staff.
So I’m simply grateful to have a coach like that by my aspect that really believes in me. He sees all of the laborious work I put in day in and time out, and he simply is aware of that he feels snug with me, but it surely positively has helped me, you realize, prepare for the long run that’s coming forward. It actually simply received me good and prepared simply to go as a result of, such as you stated, the NBA is a gauntlet, you realize, at any time when that point comes, that point is gonna come, but it surely’s actually gonna be nice, you realize, I imply, I feel (Rutgers) ready me for it simply as a lot as anybody else may.
All gamers have so as to add one thing to their recreation once they leap up a degree in competitors. What do you suppose you’ve added to your recreation on this one yr at Rutgers?
I feel in the event you watched me in highschool to proper now, I can actually say like every little thing improved, however one massive factor might be my capturing I feel. Lots of people actually slept on it in highschool as a result of such as you stated, I used to be capable of get to the basket and go get a lay up at any time when I needed to. However within the Large Ten faculty basketball, you possibly can’t try this. So just a bit stuff like that, attending to my spots, being sharper, extra exact, and simply general, realizing the sport higher.
One factor I feel you’ve been nice in any respect yr is splitting double groups. You might have a particular ability for getting downhill with a display screen. In these conditions, is that one thing the place you’re like, ‘hey, I’m attending to the rim’ on this occasion? Or is it extra such as you’re studying what the protection is supplying you with and sort of making an attempt to react to how they’re defending you?
I imply, I feel it actually comes all the way down to slightly little bit of each. First, like studying the protection, simply seeing what they’re gonna do, simply watching quite a lot of movie. I gotta give props to the teaching workers. They do an ideal job of sending us clips of what the opposite groups are gonna do, whether or not it’s come out, double, or simply keep again. We spend quite a lot of time on stuff like that, so it sort of prepares you for the sport. It makes it simpler for me, but in addition you bought to know what you’re about to do earlier than you do it. I imply, if I really feel like I can get to the rim, break up the double staff staff, I feel I’m gonna go try this. And if it’s not open, I’m gonna go to one thing else as a result of I simply belief my instincts and belief all of the work.
So I’d say your capturing has been good this yr. You’re round 35% on deep on fairly good quantity. You most likely suppose you possibly can shoot higher sooner or later. One factor I like about your recreation is I really feel like your gathers and your step backs are actually clean. Your footwork has been nice going into your pictures. How have you ever developed your shot prep and the way has that helped you?
I imply, positively props to my mother, my household, clearly props to my coach, Kenny Miller. Coming into the season, that was actually the primary emphasis. The issues we started working on might be get your shot slightly quicker, slightly smoother, like not as uneven. We labored at day, nights, no matter. I imply, we’re nonetheless working it out at this time, it’s not good, however I imply, it’s it’s getting there. It’s positively now turning into routine simply attending to into my shot. (Miller) actually did an ideal job of about having that perception in me once we’re within the gymnasium. You recognize, I’m capturing stepbacks and the ball ain’t going within the rim and I’m getting mad and stuff like that, however my coaches and trainers all the time have a perception in me that, you realize, the following shot can go in.
I grew up watching your dad with the ‘90s Bulls with MJ. Clearly your dad performed with Kobe too earlier than the top of his profession. So, what’s one factor he’s advised you about MJ and Kobe that has caught with you over time as you’ve grown up?
Actually simply their mentality, how they go about not simply basketball, however life. Like, you gotta be right here at a sure time, you higher be the toughest employee to win. There’s little issues like that, like, doing the belongings you don’t need to do, however you realize you’re gonna do it as a result of it’s gonna make you higher in the long term. That’s the stuff he actually simply put in my head, simply to point out me if these greats did it like, in the event you, in the event you do, you bought an opportunity to be up there with them sooner or later.
So I like watching the U19 tournaments yearly simply to see the following crop of men, and also you have been on that staff in 2023. You guys misplaced to France. Crew USA doesn’t lose in these competitions, however you take a look at that France roster and it’s the primary two picks final yr, Alex Sar, Risahay. In addition they had Noah Penda who’s gonna be in your draft class. So how do you suppose that that have helped you?
It was positively nice for me simply seeing how laborious you need to play. I imply, I feel that’s one thing that That’s sort of lacked round right here within the, within the US now, however once you go on the market, you gotta play laborious each possession, no performs off, simply actually, you gotta actually know the sport on the market trigger it’s a totally completely different recreation FIBA basketball, and you realize, and also you watch the primary couple of video games that sort of caught me unexpectedly simply because like, I didn’t understand how different groups performed, or different international locations play stuff like that. So simply actually go into in a mindset of I’m simply maintain my ears open, I’m simply gonna hearken to every little thing, simply take every little thing in simply daily and so carry on working.
What do you suppose is the most important false impression about your recreation?
I imply, there’s quite a lot of issues, I imply, I feel lots of people have quite a lot of I’ve quite a lot of opinions on my video games, stuff like that, little issues like, like this, I’m not athletic. Can’t get to, like, can’t leap like that, however I imply, in the event you see some highlights, I imply, I feel it sort of reveals you completely different, however I don’t suppose, I don’t base my recreation primarily based off that. So I imply, I feel that’s most likely why, however I imply, I can do it. I simply don’t do it usually. So stuff like that, like, perhaps like, I’m not so good as a passer, or I’m not, or I’m not so good as a shooter, however I imply, I feel I received the stats, you realize, in the event you simply watch my recreation, in the event you watch a daily common Rutgers recreation, I feel I can again that up.
One among my, takes yearly is that little brothers are normally higher than massive brothers as a result of they received, you realize, their massive brother to love go after and to attempt to beat him, once I’m positive Ron Junior was whooping you once you have been rising up for a very long time.
So what have you ever realized out of your bro and his expertise, you realize, within the NBA he’s, you realize, he’s been grinding, man. So, you realize, what have you ever identical to taken from him rising up and even now seeing him within the league?
I imply, rising up, he by no means let me win something. I imply, it was extra of like, ain’t nobody on this world gonna allow you to win, why I’m gonna allow you to win? And my mother would, would all the time get mad at him, however he stood on all tens and stated he, he’s not letting me win. I imply, that positively helps me me now as a result of Going up towards him, he was all the time 6 years older than me. So once I go towards the older guys, I sort of know what to anticipate from the physicality standpoint, stuff like that. However simply actually watching how he labored day in and time out, like once I was youthful, going to the gymnasium, watching him work out 2 or 3 instances a day, little stuff like that. And such as you simply stated, the gauntlet that he’s going by means of proper now within the league, it’s loopy. I be preventing to your life day by day, you realize, day by day shouldn’t be assured, however I imply, he does an ideal job simply all the time preserving his, his head excessive and I actually admire that.
Folks say quite a lot of issues about Ace Bailey. Some folks love his recreation. Some folks don’t love his recreation.
First off, I can say Ace Bailey is one of the best teammate that I’ve had. I imply, all my profession, he’s the most effective teammates. He’s all the time the primary man within the gymnasium, he’s gonna work laborious. And he’s the funniest man, you’re all the time gonna get amusing out round him. There’s by no means a uninteresting second with him.
On the courtroom, I don’t perceive how folks don’t like his recreation. I imply, the pictures he takes, yeah, everybody says they’re robust pictures, this, that and the third, however in the event you watch him work out, these are the pictures he makes. That’s why you will note us getting mad (on the criticism), as a result of that’s him. He does it day by day in apply, so why can’t do it in a recreation? Little stuff like that. And let’s be trustworthy, he takes robust pictures, however he’s 6’10, and when he jumps, he’s 7-foot, and nobody can contest it.
Who wouldn’t need to have a man like that in your staff the place you can provide him the ball and it might be an automated bucket? That’s actually him. However I imply, he actually does much more than that. I feel he sees the sport very properly. He’s an excellent defender, superb rebounder. He simply does every little thing properly and he’s 6’10. So like, I don’t perceive why folks don’t like his recreation. You could possibly say shot choice or something like that, however I imply, in the event you take a look at the pictures and also you take a look at exercises, I imply, he’s an ideal participant and an ideal teammate. Reward to him.
Your mother performed faculty hoops at New Orleans. Everybody is aware of about your dad’s profession, however your mother needed to be a hooper too, and I do know she was your coach. So like, you realize, what did you are taking out of your mother that you simply suppose perhaps you didn’t get out of your dad?
I imply, she’s been teaching me all my life from Kindergarten, first grade all the way in which as much as my senior yr of highschool, and she or he was all the time telling me you gotta be the toughest employee within the gymnasium it doesn’t matter what. I feel that’s one thing me and her used to argue about. I imply, she all the time advised me like, ‘You bought to be that very same child that you simply have been 4 years in the past when nobody knew your title and also you’re on the market simply taking part in basketball simply since you love the sport’ like that ought to by no means change. I actually take that from her as a result of like, clearly. I’m grateful to have every little thing that I received proper now, however I imply, I nonetheless received much more work to do. She does an ideal job of humbling me day by day, so I imply props to her. I wouldn’t be right here with out her.
Level guard, capturing guard, combo guard, a lot of other ways to explain you. What sort of state of affairs do you need to see your self positionally within the NBA? Do you need to go to a staff the place it’s like, hey, Dylan’s received the ball? Or like a few of these groups are gonna have like fairly good gamers even when they don’t have an ideal document to the place perhaps you’re taking part in slightly extra off the ball, perhaps you’re taking part in slightly extra two guard. What do you see in your profession?
Clearly, I’m blessed to even have that within the dialog of what I might do in that subsequent degree. I simply attempt to keep within the second proper now, you realize, simply end the season up sturdy of Rutgers, however clearly once I get there, I imply, I’m gonna do no matter I received to do to assist the staff win, whether or not it’s such as you say, play off the ball, play on the ball, this, that and third, I’m gonna do regardless of the coach requested me to do and I’m simply gonna go on the market and attempt to win.
What’s this partnership been like with Kinder Bueno been like and what are you doing for him?
I imply, it’s sort of been nice. My cousin launched me to Kinder Bueno. I imply proper when she gave me one, I preferred it immediately. It’s sort of irresistible like after a recreation or apply once you want slightly snack, you realize, simply seize my Kinder Bueno bits. It’s simply nice firm, nice model, you realize, what they wanna do for March, I imply, simply truthfully blessed to be in that state of affairs with them and simply we’re gonna have quite a lot of good issues.
