Rutgers’ two prized freshmen lived as much as the hype of their first live motion Thursday night.
Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey showcased flashes of their high ceiling and advanced shotmaking.
They dazzled from deep. They didn’t show jitters or nerves.
Even in a 91-85 exhibition loss to St. John’s at Jersey Mike’s Arena, it was the whole lot a Rutgers fan could have desired to see out of the 2 projected top-10 NBA draft picks who’ve created attention and buzz for this Big Ten program.
“Dylan is, for a freshman, so under control,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said afterward. “He plays like a senior. He’s got loads of [Walt] ‘Clyde’ Frazier in the best way he plays. He was amazing and Ace Bailey just has great talent. Each of them are great. They deserve the rankings they’re getting.”
Harper was the steadier of the 2, notching 20 points and 4 rebounds, while the 6-foot-10 Bailey the more explosive with 25 points and 4 made 3-pointers.
They each looked deserving of the immense hype they’re receiving.
Greater than 20 NBA scouts were readily available, including general managers from the Nets, Magic and Raptors.
At one point early within the second half, Bailey hit back-to-back deep 3-pointers.
Later in the sport, the 6-6 Harper reeled off six consecutive points, first hitting a 3-pointer, then sinking a pull-up jumper and drawing the foul. Each repeatedly made tough contested shots all night.
Down the stretch, St. John’s was the higher team, erasing a 12-point second-half deficit.
But there was so much to love for the Scarlet Knights, even in the event that they were beaten soundly on the glass and on the short end of a 14-2 run to finish the exhibition.
“Those two kids [Harper and Bailey] are talented. I just like the pieces, too, that we surrounded these guys with,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “We will move pieces around, too. They’re great kids, at first. They’re really good passers. They should learn some things, college defense is something they’re going to proceed to recover at. But they’re exciting. I’m thankful for this whole group. Those two fit right in perfectly with us.”
