Harper NJ.COM Article

[RAC93]

Here’s what Rutgers commit Dylan Harper ‘loves’ about future teammate Jeremiah Williams

As he led Don Bosco Prep to a second straight county championship, Rutgers commit Dylan Harper has kept an eye on the Scarlet Knights and their rise since his future teammate Jeremiah Williams became eligible.

www.nj.com

Dylan quoted as saying “ With him (JWill), me, Ace, (four-star center) Lathan (Sommerville), maybe (senior center) Cliff (Omoruyi) — the sky is the limit for us,” Harper said.

I would love it if Cliff returned next year (especially with how bad Wolf has looked and Ogbole looking very, very raw). Hoping Dylan knows more than we do and there is some sort of maybe chance he’s back. I doubt he returns but would love him back next year.

 

[RUBlackout]

Here’s what Rutgers commit Dylan Harper ‘loves’ about future teammate Jeremiah Williams

As he led Don Bosco Prep to a second straight county championship, Rutgers commit Dylan Harper has kept an eye on the Scarlet Knights and their rise since his future teammate Jeremiah Williams became eligible.

www.nj.com

Dylan quoted as saying “ With him (JWill), me, Ace, (four-star center) Lathan (Sommerville), maybe (senior center) Cliff (Omoruyi) — the sky is the limit for us,” Harper said.

I would love it if Cliff returned next year (especially with how bad Wolf has looked and Ogbole looking very, very raw). Hoping Dylan knows more than we do and there is some sort of maybe chance he’s back. I doubt he returns but would love him back next year.

that lineup would be sick but would have Mag starting over Sommerville!!! Sub in Simpson, JMike, GG and Somerville

 

[RAC93]

that lineup would be sick but would have Mag starting over Sommerville!!! Sub in Simpson, JMike, GG and Somerville

They might actually have a real bench next year. With Cliff returning they also would not have to try and find a big man in the portal. I don’t think he returns but would welcome Cliff and his roughly double-double per game along with his impact to opponent shots in the paint.

 

[socaldave]

They might actually have a real bench next year. With Cliff returning they also would not have to try and find a big man in the portal. I don’t think he returns but would welcome Cliff and his roughly double-double per game along with his impact to opponent shots in the paint.

He would be foolish not to return
He needs to get better he is not going to the NBA

 

[PiscatawayMike]

He would be foolish not to return
He needs to get better he is not going to the NBA

It'll be easy for Cliff to find a roster spot overseas. Many countries allow only two Americans per team. Cliff is not an American. Hence, receiving a roster spot and a decent financial offer from a few teams is highly likely.

Cliff loves attending school and is a good student. He may want to use the extra Covid year to pursue further academic goals.

His decision will be interesting. Here's hoping he makes a decision early and does not make the staff wait until after the NBA draft process. I doubt it, though. It'll probably be another off-season of waiting and wondering...

 

[Knight Owl]

Cliff would give the group a much better chance at making a deep NCAA tourney run for sure.

 

[RU82]

If we can have all three of Cliff, Mag, and JWill back next year to team up with Ace and Dylan, that is a team with natty potential. The biggest question would be how well they are coached up defensively by the NCAA tournament.

 

[Knight Owl]

If we can have all three of Cliff, Mag, and JWill back next year to team up with Ace and Dylan, that is a team with natty potential.

Woolf and Chol would be “moving on” in this case. Palm could still be the Swedish microwave-chef off the bench. Is Dylan hitting currently threes at a 40% clip?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Woolf and Chol would be “moving on” in this case. Palm could still be the Swedish microwave-chef off the bench. Is Dylan hitting currently threes at a 40% clip?

Not sure where this Dylan Harper is a great shooter is coming from. He has made 28 3s in 22 games in HS.

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Paul hit 136 in his HS career.

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[wheezer]

If we can have all three of Cliff, Mag, and JWill back next year to team up with Ace and Dylan, that is a team with natty potential. The biggest question would be how well they are coached up defensively by the NCAA tournament.

Early on, we were assured that Cliff was gone after this
year, and we have had little indication that this has changed, aside from fan hopes and
speculation
We can hope that Harper might have heard about it not being definite about leaving

 

[Knight Owl]

Not sure where this Dylan Harper is a great shooter is coming from. He has made 28 3s in 22 games in HS.

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Paul hit 136 in his HS career.

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That’s why I bring it up. I’ve seen his stroke and it looks good.

 

[Shelby65]

If we can have all three of Cliff, Mag, and JWill back next year to team up with Ace and Dylan, that is a team with natty potential. The biggest question would be how well they are coached up defensively by the NCAA tournament.

don't think so. still no shooters.

 

[RU82]

don't think so. still no shooters.

Ace is a shooter

 

[PhillyRU]

It’s hard to term anyone a shooter unless they’ve proven it at the college level, see Griffiths.

 

[fatsam98]

It'll be easy for Cliff to find a roster spot overseas. Many countries allow only two Americans per team. Cliff is not an American. Hence, receiving a roster spot and a decent financial offer from a few teams is highly likely.

Cliff loves attending school and and is a good student. He may want to use the extra Covid year to pursue further academic goals.

His decision will be interesting. Here's hoping he makes a decision early and does not make the staff wait until after the NBA draft process. I doubt it, though. It'll probably be another off-season of waiting and wondering...

You could argue that the additions of Dylan and Ace will help his game enough to get a more serious look by the NBA. On the other hand, he'll be another year older.

That aside, can we figure out a way to get him enough NIL (game in Canada..?) to stop him from going overseas?

Will be interesting to see for sure.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Freshman 3 point shooting since 2019 under Pike (players at least 1 attempt per game)

2024​	Davis	7​	27​	25.9%​
2024​	Griffiths	18​	76​	23.7%​
2023​	Simpson	13​	60​	21.7%​
2022​	Jones	7​	30​	23.3%​
2019​	Harper	30​	108​	27.8%​
2019​	McConnell	20​	56​	35.7%​
2019​	Mathis	16​	67​	23.9%​
		111​	424​	26.2%​

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Do not expect Ace and Dylan to be greater than 30% combined next year. I am a broken record....playing offense with an elevated heart rate is different than playing offense at a slightly elevated heart rate

 

[FAT MOON]

Not sure where this Dylan Harper is a great shooter is coming from. He has made 28 3s in 22 games in HS.

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Paul hit 136 in his HS career.

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I've only seen Dylan live twice, but he can most definitely fill it up from deep if he wants to. He was warming up and hitting at a high clip from nba type range. Great looking stroke too.

He's just soooooooooo good and getting all the way to the rim and finishing or getting fouled he can do that at will so he doesn't need to shoot threes at that high of a clip. He was going through two or three guys from that great Camden team last year.

Also I'm not sure we can treat those stats as law lol they have Dylan with more FTs MADE than attempted on the season lol. 96 made on 95 attempts. That's will definitely help our FT rankings next year 🤣

 

[PhillyRU]

Freshman 3 point shooting since 2019 under Pike (players at least 1 attempt per game)

2024​	Davis	7​	27​	25.9%​
2024​	Griffiths	18​	76​	23.7%​
2023​	Simpson	13​	60​	21.7%​
2022​	Jones	7​	30​	23.3%​
2019​	Harper	30​	108​	27.8%​
2019​	McConnell	20​	56​	35.7%​
2019​	Mathis	16​	67​	23.9%​
		111​	424​	26.2%​

I trust Ace and Dylan’s #s to better reflect HS and AAU just because they’re more familiar with HM athleticism.

Also man if McConnell could’ve stayed at 36% he might've been the greatest RU player ever

 

[Jerseylegends]

Ace and Dylan have played A LOT of basketball...like a lot, they are potential lottery picks so people are watching them closely because of the punt of money NBA teams might invest in these guys. Camps, clinics, they have personal skills trainers. These guys are a little different than Griffiths. But time will tell..

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I've only seen Dylan live twice, but he can most definitely fill it up from deep if he wants to. He was warming up and hitting at a high clip from nba type range. Great looking stroke too.

He's just soooooooooo good and getting all the way to the rim and finishing or getting fouled he can do that at will so he doesn't need to shoot threes at that high of a clip. He was going through two or three guys from that great Camden team last year.

Also I'm not sure we can treat those stats as law lol they have Dylan with more FTs MADE than attempted on the season lol. 96 made on 95 attempts. That's will definitely help our FT rankings next year 🤣

made FT, 2 FG and 3FG are 100% accurate. Everything else is up in the air.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Ace and Dylan have played A LOT of basketball...like a lot, they are potential lottery picks so people are watching them closely because of the punt of money NBA teams might invest in these guys. Camps, clinics, they have personal skills trainers. These guys are a little different than Griffiths. But time will tell..

So going in to freshman year you would have expected Ace and Dylan to be freshman shooters than Gavin?

No way!

 

[Jerseylegends]

So going in to freshman year you would have expected Ace and Dylan to be freshman shooters than Gavin?

No way!

Before I saw Griffiths this year I wouldn't have. But after seeing Griffiths play, just knowing what to do while out there gives them an advantage. Being able to move freely with the basketball gives them an advantage, their body types and defensive abilities give them an advantage. Shooting, you never know but I'm confident they will shoot at least as good as Griffiths is shooting this year, most likely better. But again, you never know, I thought Griffiths would come in as an elite shooter; that hasn't come to fruition. I also hadn't seen as much of Griffiths as I've seen ace and dyl against elite competition. Didn't see Griffiths against good competition at all come to think of it. He probably needs another year to adjust to these types of opposing teams. Ace and Dylan have been playing against big time players for years now.

 

[fluoxetine]

I've only seen Dylan live twice, but he can most definitely fill it up from deep if he wants to. He was warming up and hitting at a high clip from nba type range. Great looking stroke too.

He's just soooooooooo good and getting all the way to the rim and finishing or getting fouled he can do that at will so he doesn't need to shoot threes at that high of a clip. He was going through two or three guys from that great Camden team last year.

Also I'm not sure we can treat those stats as law lol they have Dylan with more FTs MADE than attempted on the season lol. 96 made on 95 attempts. That's will definitely help our FT rankings next year 🤣

Look, if the guy is a 101% FT shooter I have to believe he will be effective from three point range as well.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Before I saw Griffiths this year I wouldn't have. But after seeing Griffiths play, just knowing what to do while out there gives them an advantage. Being able to move freely with the basketball gives them an advantage, their body types and defensive abilities give them an advantage. Shooting, you never know but I'm confident they will shoot at least as good as Griffiths is shooting this year, most likely better. But again, you never know, I thought Griffiths would come in as an elite shooter; that hasn't come to fruition. I also hadn't seen as much of Griffiths as I've seen ace and dyl against elite competition. Didn't see Griffiths against good competition at all come to think of it. He probably needs another year to adjust to these types of opposing teams. Ace and Dylan have been playing against big time players for years now.

IMNSHO. It isnt the competition they play against it is the adjustment to playing both ends of the court. I shoot a basketball a lot better with my heart rate at 100 vs. 125. Huge difference.

 

[Jerseylegends]

IMNSHO. It isnt the competition they play against it is the adjustment to playing both ends of the court. I shoot a basketball a lot better with my heart rate at 100 vs. 125. Huge difference.

I agree, doubt they've played a game that will be as competitive as an NCAA game. You never know with shooting so we shall see..

 

[Degaz-RU]

Not sure where this Dylan Harper is a great shooter is coming from. He has made 28 3s in 22 games in HS.

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Paul hit 136 in his HS career.

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I have my doubts if the nj.com stats you linked are accurate or complete. Many of the games just list a "--" for 3-pointers and even assists, and they only list Dylan as having 18 assists ALL SEASON through those 22 games.

 

[bitnez]

I have my doubts if the nj.com stats you linked are accurate or complete. Many of the games just list a "--" for 3-pointers and even assists, and they only list Dylan as having 18 assists ALL SEASON through those 22 games.

This. I just checked the City of Palms tournament and he hit 8 3s in those 4 games alone. He only hit 14 3s in the other 14 games?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I have my doubts if the nj.com stats you linked are accurate or complete. Many of the games just list a "--" for 3-pointers and even assists, and they only list Dylan as having 18 assists ALL SEASON through those 22 games.

only reliable data
games played
2 point FG made
ft made
3 point made
points

all other data is useless

What we know is he scores 21 PPG and doesn't make a lot of 3s.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

This. I just checked the City of Palms tournament and he hit 8 3s in those 4 games alone. He only hit 14 3s in the other 14 games?

YES.

I saw the entire Ramapo game feed from regular season. Didn't attempt one I believe.

 

[bitnez]

YES.

I saw the entire Ramapo game feed from regular season. Didn't attempt one I believe.

Ok. Maybe it’s accurate. What I do know — and someone mentioned it — Ace shoots a lot of 3s. I’m not sure our fan base understands his game yet. It’s NBA like. Remember that 3 from Gavin that caused a fanbase meltdown? Ace shoots like 1-2 of those every game.

 

[fluoxetine]

Ok. Maybe it’s accurate. What I do know — and someone mentioned it — Ace shoots a lot of 3s. I’m not sure our fan base understands his game yet. It’s NBA like. Remember that 3 from Gavin that caused a fanbase meltdown? Ace shoots like 1-2 of those every game.

Do you have the full box score from the game? If so, you should be able to confirm whether 3*3pt made + 2*2pt made + ft made = points. If it does then it's probably accurate.

 

[Degaz-RU]

only reliable data
games played
2 point FG made
ft made
3 point made
points

all other data is useless

What we know is he scores 21 PPG and doesn't make a lot of 3s.

How do you know any of those stats are "reliable"? There's no way he has only hit 14 threes in all games other than the City of Palms games.

 

[fluoxetine]

How do you know any of those stats are "reliable"? There's no way he has only hit 14 threes in all games other than the City of Palms games.

Presumably because you have to be recording the shots that are made in order to score the game. So those are certainly the most likely to be accurate.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Ok. Maybe it’s accurate. What I do know — and someone mentioned it — Ace shoots a lot of 3s. I’m not sure our fan base understands his game yet. It’s NBA like. Remember that 3 from Gavin that caused a fanbase meltdown? Ace shoots like 1-2 of those every game.

Ace is DEFINITELY a volume 3 point shooter. He will fit right in with the NBA.

Taking 3s 5 feet behind the arc is great when they are going in. When they aren't.....

I have ZERO doubt he is a NBA player....I have serious doubts his game translates to college, and especially Rutgers.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Do you have the full box score from the game? If so, you should be able to confirm whether 3*3pt made + 2*2pt made + ft made = points. If it does then it's probably accurate.

trust me 3 things are accurate which makes the 4th accurate...the book has 1,2, and 3s and fouls

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

How do you know any of those stats are "reliable"? There's no way he has only hit 14 threes in all games other than the City of Palms games.

trust me nj.com 1,2,3s are right.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Shooting percentages are all about how much time does the player get to set his feet and how much airspace does the player have.

How the ball moves from player to player, also matters as well.

In terms of Dylan and Ace, I think taking some sophomore college stats would be a more accurate comparison to what their numbers at RU will look like. Both players and Lathan Sommerville, are very good shooting the ball.

What if I told fans that the 21.7% Derek Simpson from 3 as a freshman, is currently at 30.2% from 3 so far this year...??

What if I told fans that since JWill arrived, Simpson is 6 of 14 from 3 in his last 5 games??

If you have better players around you, you'll find better shots, cleaner looks etc. It is impossible to evaluate Gavin Griffiths with just 5 games and limited minutes with JWill......I would have to take a safe guess that as 3 to 4 more talented players are added to the roster in 2024, it can only help the shot selection and shooting percentages for Simpson, Gavin and even Mag should be able to pull his percentages up from 3.

 

[fluoxetine]

What if I told fans that the 21.7% Derek Simpson from 3 as a freshman, is currently at 30.2% from 3 so far this year...??

What if I told you that the difference between 13/60 and 19/63 from three is not statistically significant?

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

What if I told you that the difference between 13/60 and 19/63 from three is not statistically significant?

I'm not a stat guy, there are a bunch of fans who are obsessed with it for some reason to denigrate Simpson. I was just pointing out that 13 3s for a season vs potentially doubling that amount and improvements by almost 10%, is "something ".