Andy Katz Ranks Dylan Harper as The #1 Guard in College Basketball
- Thread starter NJHoops17
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Andy needs to calm down. Dylan hasn't played a minute and he's the top guard as a freshman? Let's see how he does against upper classmen who were also highly rated before we anoint Dylan.
If there weren't a rule against it, Dylan would be suiting up for the NBA this coming year instead of college and would have probably been one of the top guards in the draft class.
Can't really say that about the other guards of the list, which is what this likely based on.
Still, expectations are way too high before he's even seen a collegiate tip off, imo.
Can't really say that about the other guards of the list, which is what this likely based on.
Still, expectations are way too high before he's even seen a collegiate tip off, imo.
Why is it okay for a blood blues to have a kid ranked #1 and no one bats an eye. They minute Rutgers gets the same stud, our fans go into denial. How is that possible? In some of our fans' mind, our kid(s) shouldn't be the top dog, but instead somewhere in the middle of the pack. We can have good things too and it's happening more often these days. Live with it because it's real.
A lot of scouts think he’s the best guard prospect in years.
Dylan is going to be great, but last year Mark Sears led Alabama to the Final Four, scored 21.5 points a game, shot over 50% from the field and over 43% from 3, had 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.6 steals a game. I don’t think anyone expects Dylan to come close to that, particularly the shooting statistics.
I don't think this is what's going on. Some of our fans (or fans of any mid-level power 5 team like ours) don't really know that this is how it works. We're used to freshmen like JMike who are nice players, but not lottery picks out of HS. If you watch top 10 teams, or wat h the draft, you can see that every year, there are freshmen who start right away and have a huge impact. There are freshmen who get drafted every year. And there are freshmen who are legit NBA all-stars biding their time in college. We've just never had one, so it's new to us.
I agree that Dylan is going to be great this year, but I think it still may be a little ambitious to rank him #1 immediately before he has played a game at Rutgers. Could he be the best guard in college basketball this year? Definitely.
However, Mark Sears is the best player on an Alabama team that has a great chance to win the National championship this year, and R.J. Davis is also an incredible player. I think those are the top two guards in the country with Dylan Harper, Caleb Love, and Braden Smith all very close for that #3 spot.
I followed that link and I wondered if Katz had other positions ranked also.. did not see it but then I was suggested some "follows" including Dick Vitale.. he just had his last radiation treatment for cancer. And prior to that he posted a link to this... even though recently posted.. it seems old.. a lot of "expected to depart" stuff.. like Oskar Palmquist.. what? Wonder if we can find an updated list for us and opponents somewhere.
The coming and goings of NCAA Basketball teams.. team by team
The coming and goings of NCAA Basketball teams.. team by team
And some of those naysayers will swear they knew he was worthy of it only after they see how good he really is…
Dylan's confidence, skills, size and maturity are way beyond a very good freshman. He dominated the very best of High school seniors from all around the country. Not saying he will be the best guard, but at minimum will be very close.
People from all around the country will be talking about him after Las Vegas.
People from all around the country will be talking about him after Las Vegas.
As an incoming freshman, a few NBA scouting gurus have likened Harper to Jason Kidd.
Obviously, not as good a passer as Kidd (which put him on another level) but scouts love his ability to control a game and no situation appears too big to him. They said when watching Kidd in high school, when the game was over, regardless of who else was on the court, there was little doubt Kidd was the best player on the court. The same can be said about Harper. He's the player who you can't help but rave about after watching him compete in a game, regardless of who else was on the floor.
Buckle up Rutgers brethren, it's going to be a fun season!
Obviously, not as good a passer as Kidd (which put him on another level) but scouts love his ability to control a game and no situation appears too big to him. They said when watching Kidd in high school, when the game was over, regardless of who else was on the court, there was little doubt Kidd was the best player on the court. The same can be said about Harper. He's the player who you can't help but rave about after watching him compete in a game, regardless of who else was on the floor.
Buckle up Rutgers brethren, it's going to be a fun season!
Crazy, isn't it?
Teams like Kentucky go into every season with almost nothing but freshmen and sophomores because they get players who are so good, they only stay 1 or 2 years. And yet, they're consistently a top 10 team.
But God forbid a non-blue blood brings in a top recruiting class (not just Ace and Dylan) and adds experienced seniors.
Some "experts" can't even bring themselves to rank Rutgers top 10 in their own conference ... let alone nationally.
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Although known as a passer, Kidd's shooting stats were not bad at Cal. He really only struggled as a 3-point shooter as a freshman.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jason-kidd-1.html
But back then, the college three-point line was just 19 ft 9 in, which is where the high school line is today.
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