Dylan Harper has his sights set on the Big Ten Tournament title, declaring, “We’re looking to go on a run.” This ambitious goal places the Rutgers freshman in the spotlight as he aims to lead his team through the competitive landscape of college basketball.
Despite being projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Mock Drafts, Harper’s freshman season has been a mix of highs and lows. The Scarlet Knights have faced challenges, currently holding a record of 15-16 and an 8-12 mark in Big Ten play, illustrating the tough nature of the competition.
This weekend, however, offers a chance for redemption at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The stakes are high, as this single-elimination event will grant the winner an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making every game a critical opportunity.
As you prepare for your first-ever Big Ten Tournament, what do you and your teammates hope to demonstrate in Indianapolis?
Harper expressed gratitude for making it to the tournament, acknowledging the difficulty of the Big Ten: “All 18 teams are really good, so it’s hard to get there. It’s going to be a great time, and we’re looking to go on a big run. We’re gonna go out there and play Rutgers basketball. I’m definitely very excited. It’s a big stage, and when all the lights get bright, I just want to go out there and try to perform and do whatever I can to help my team win.”
You’ve made history alongside Ace Bailey as the first Big Ten freshman duo to each score 500 points in a season since the legendary Fab Five. How does it feel to be mentioned alongside such iconic players?
“It’s crazy to be compared to that Fab Five team,” Harper remarked. “We have a thing over here where we have five freshmen that all came in at the same time, and we play big minutes, so we kind of have our own little thing going on. Ace and I, we work so hard every day, and props to our teammates for putting us in the right spots, and props to our coaching staff for helping us out.”
With the resurgence of college basketball in New York and New Jersey, particularly with St. John’s and your performances at Rutgers, do you feel that New York basketball is experiencing a revival?
“You definitely feel all the pressure and all the energy that comes with it, but that’s kind of what we asked for when Ace and I signed up for this, to come to Rutgers and play for a great coach like Steve Pikiell. We both knew that we were going to have a lot of expectations, but the way you have to go about it is to just tune it out and just play basketball and do what we’ve been doing, which is continue to work hard and get prepared for every game.”
Given the strength of the Big Ten this season, what has been your toughest matchup to date, whether against a team or an individual player?
“Every game we’ve got to play a tough matchup. It seems like every team we play has a great guard. There’s Braden Smith at Purdue, Brice Williams at Nebraska—he’s a hard matchup. There are also a lot of really good bigs in this league that not a lot of people talk about. [Trey] Kaufman-Renn can really score the ball. Even at Penn State, I could go with Ace Baldwin or [Dawson] Garcia at Minnesota. There’s just a lot of talent throughout the Big Ten, and there’s never an off night.”
In your transition from high school to college basketball, what has been the most significant adjustment you’ve had to make?
“The physicality. I like to bump guys and stuff like that, but when you get to college, you’re playing against grown men. They are 23 or 24 years old, so what has really helped me is just trying to embrace it—embrace the physicality and the speed of the game, and just learn day by day.”
With increasing attention on your NBA potential, which current or former players do you see as models for your game?
“I try to model my game off people who are my size, my height, and play my position. Guys like Cade Cunningham, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Luka Dončić—big guards that can really get to their spot, and they know when to attack and when not to. I try to take little things from each of their games, and, obviously, a lot of people compare me to Kyrie (Irving) because he’s from New Jersey. He’s someone who is just fun to watch.”
