With the Jersey-to-Durham pipeline in mind, it’s no surprise that during his recent chat with national recruiting insider Andrew Slater, Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) point guard Dylan Harper listed Duke as one of the schools he hopes to hear from soon. The 2024 talent also mentioned Villanova and Michigan in this regard.
Although 247Sports has yet to rate or rank the present-day crop of high school sophomores, Harper appears in line to receive somewhat favorable marks. After all, it seems he’s shining this weekend at the Pangos All-East Camp for freshman and sophomores in New Jersey. Via tweet, Slater included the 6-foot-5, 180-pound speedster as a top standout from Day 1 at the event.
At this early stage in his recruitment, Dylan Harper already holds roughly a half-dozen scholarship offers, with the most notable ones being from Georgetown and Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, the Duke basketball staff has yet to extend any 2024 offers of its own.
Harper has been an emerging name from his summer and fall performances. The lefty from Don Bosco Prep shoots the ball very efficiently and is improving on getting to and finishing around the rim. Harper is also the younger brother of Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr and the son of Ron Harper. Harper has tons of upside and improves each time I've seen him play.
The younger brother of Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr. and son of Ron Harper, Dylan Harper continues to impress this season at Don Bosco Prep. The 6-foot-5 sophomore point guard is a smooth lefty with good size who can score the ball from all three levels. Last night he finished off with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists and made a lot of good reads getting everyone involved. Holds offers from Georgetown, Rutgers among others.
“From the schools that offered, we hear the most from Texas Tech and Rutgers,” Harper said. “I would like to get out to visit UCLA this summer.”
Harper talks recruitment Texas Tech: “They play a lot of defense, and that is what gets people to the next level. That is what I like about them. I can go get a bucket at will; watching them play, they don’t really have that go-to scorer. I think I could just come in and be a scorer for them.”
Rutgers: “Coach (Steve) Pikiell is a great coach, and I love the coaching staff. They just get people better, really.”
UCLA: “They haven’t offered yet, but we’ve been talking. I mean, it’s LA; that’s like the prime. They have a great coaching staff, and they just always have a good team.”
“I would say I’ve developed the best relationship with Texas Tech, Rutgers, Indiana, and Duke. They all reach out to me regularly. I am looking to set a visit with those four and maybe a California school.”
The four-star guard’s brother, Ron Harper Jr., became a star at the school before landing in the NBA, and the bonds that situation has created are obviously notable. So, on Friday, when Harper was asked which college staff he feels closest with as things stand, the answer wasn’t exactly a shock.
“Probably Rutgers,” he said.
Holding off big predators won’t be easy, however. Programs such as Duke, Kansas, Indiana, Texas Tech are also in contact. KU, Texas Tech and Indiana have already offered. Meanwhile, Kentucky and Duke both attended Harper’s most recent game at Peach Jam. If the Scarlet Knights are to win this battle, they won’t do so without a brawl.
“With Duke, they always check up on me,” Harper said. "They want to make sure I’m good and check up on me. It’s a good relationship.”
Dylan Harper, the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to On3, has received an offer from Duke.
Harper, a 6-foot-5 prospect out of Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep is also ranked as the No. 1 combo guard in the class.
“When I got it, I was happy,” Harper said in an exclusive interview with On3. “(Jon Scheyer) FaceTimed me and everything. It was a dream come true. Every kid dreams of getting an offer from a school like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and schools like that. So when I got it, I was just happy, really.
“(Duke) is a great program. A lot of Jersey people go there and you see they’re all in the League now. It would be a blessing if I could do the same thing.”
"One of the top prospects in the class of 2024, Dylan Harper cut his massive offer list down to include just five schools on Tuesday. Kansas, Duke, Auburn, Indiana and Rutgers are the schools still alive to land the five-star guard, and the battle to secure his letter of intent should be a contested one."