By ADAM ZAGORIA
Dylan Harper, the 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard from Don Bosco Prep (NJ) and the New York Rens AAU program, dropped his top five schools on Tuesday.
The five-star guard is down to Auburn, Duke, Kansas, Indiana and Rutgers.
He has given no timeline on a decision and his mother, Maria, Tweeted recently that he’ll decide when he’s ready.
Several other Class of 2024 New York and New Jersey prospects have announced — or will announce — recently, including Cardinal Hayes guard Ian Jackson (North Carolina) and his teammate Elijah Moore (Syracuse). Hudson Catholic Class of 2024 guard Tahaad Pettiford announces Wednesday, with Auburn the favorite.
Harper visited Duke in October for Countdown to Craziness with Class of 2023 commits Mackenzie Mgbako of Roselle Catholic (N.J.), Sean Stewart of Montverde (FL) and Caleb Foster of Oak Hill (VA).
Duke coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have made Harper a priority recruit and watched him at Peach Jam in July, where he led the Rens to the U16 semifinals. They also saw him at the John Wall Invitational in December in North Carolina.
Harper has also visited Rutgers several times this season for games, including for the Seton Hall game Dec. 11, and was greeted by chants each time.
A “Dylan Harper” chant breaks out: pic.twitter.com/GxsYHVxAsT
— Brian Fonseca (@briannnnf) December 12, 2022
Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers staff then watched Harper play against Camden earlier this month at Kean University
“When I get to college, I don’t want to be a third or fourth option,” Harper said at Peach Jam. “I want to be the main guy. So I think that’s what’s really going to make the difference.”
Harper is the younger son of former NBA guard Ron Harper Sr., whose NBA career lasted 16 seasons, including three championships with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Harper is also the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr., who played four seasons at Rutgers and signed a Two-Way Contract with the Toronto Raptors.
As far as Harper’s family ties, he said he’s received tons of advice about the recruitment process from his brother. The main message? To stay humble.
“He’s just told me to always be hungry,” Harper said. “Whatever schools come, be thankful, be blessed and be happy. But at the end of the day you still have a long road to go.”
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