Dylan Harper on picking Rutgers over Duke, lessons from Kobe and MJ, and his love for Ace Bailey

An interview with Dylan Harper reflecting on his decision to go to Rutgers, what his dad told him about Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and much more.

Basketball runs through Dylan Harper’s blood. His father Ron Harper was a five-time NBA champion who remade his game from takeover scorer to caretaker point guard while playing alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O’Neal. Harper’s mother Maria could hoop, too: she played college ball at the University of New Orleans and then severed on Dylan’s coaching staffs from an early age through high school. His older brother Ron Harper Jr. is currently on two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Dylan followed Ron Jr.’s footsteps when he committed to Rutgers. With his freshman season now over, the assumption is that Harper will now go off to the NBA, where he’s been projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft for most of the year.

SB Nation got the chance to interview Harper through his March Madness sponsorship with Kinder Bueno. Topics included reflecting on his decision to pick Rutgers over Duke and other power programs, what his father passed down from playing with Jordan and Kobe, the biggest misconceptions about his game, and his experience playing with fellow top pick Ace Bailey. The interview took place just before Rutgers began play in the Big Ten tournament.

For more March Madness coverage, check out SB Nation’s list of the 50 best players in the 2025 men’s NCAA tournament, plus our expert bracket predictions.

SBN: Most people were shocked a five-star recruit would pick Rutgers over offers from Duke, Kansas, Auburn, and others. Why would you say you made that decision, and a year later, how do you think it worked out for you?

I mean, first off, coming here was pretty easy for me, I think. I like to go family over everything. I’ve known the people here forever, Coach Pike, Coach B Knight, TJ Thompson the whole staff, just how much love they bring you in. They tell you they’re always gonna do right by you no matter what, and they’re gonna be by your side even when you leave Rutgers. Stuff like that really got me to come here. And in the basketball side of it, why not want to be different? Obviously, I could have went to the places you’re talking about, great programs, all respect to them, but I kind of wanted to pave my own way and do something different. Just looking back at it now, I mean I wouldn’t my decision at all.

Obviously a lot of ups and downs, but that’s life. Life isn’t always gonna be perfect, you know, just little things that that’s kept me pushing.

You’ve had the ball in your hands the entire season at Rutgers, posting one of the highest usage rates among the freshmen class. Maybe that wouldn’t have happened a traditional power program. How do you think those reps have helped your game?

It’s definitely helped me a lot. Coach Pike did a great job believing in me from the beginning. Coach Pike called me the day after the season ended last year and said this is your program. I’m putting the ball in your hands. You can follow my lead. We gonna do this together as a team.

So I’m just grateful to have a coach like that by my side that truly believes in me. He sees all the hard work I put in day in and day out, and he just knows that he feels comfortable with me, but it definitely has helped me, you know, get ready for the future that’s coming ahead. It really just got me nice and ready just to go because, like you said, the NBA is a gauntlet, you know, whenever that time comes, that time is gonna come, but it’s really gonna be great, you know, I mean, I think (Rutgers) prepared me for it just as much as anyone else could.

All players have to add something to their game when they jump up a level in competition. What do you think you’ve added to your game in this one year at Rutgers?

I think if you watched me in high school to right now, I can really say like everything improved, but one big thing is probably my shooting I think. A lot of people really slept on it in high school because like you said, I was able to get to the basket and go get a lay up whenever I wanted to. But in the Big Ten college basketball, you can’t do that. So just a little stuff like that, getting to my spots, being sharper, more precise, and just overall, knowing the game better.

One thing I think you’ve been great at all year is splitting double teams. You have a special skill for getting downhill with a screen. In those situations, is that something where you’re like, ‘hey, I’m getting to the rim’ in this instance? Or is it more like you’re reading what the defense is giving you and kind of trying to react to how they’re defending you?

I mean, I think it really comes down to a little bit of both. First, like reading the defense, just seeing what they’re gonna do, just watching a lot of film. I gotta give props to the coaching staff. They do a great job of sending us clips of what the other teams are gonna do, whether it’s come out, double, or just stay back. We spend a lot of time on stuff like that, so it kind of prepares you for the game. It makes it easier for me, but also you got to know what you’re about to do before you do it. I mean, if I feel like I can get to the rim, split the double team team, I think I’m gonna go do that. And if it’s not open, I’m gonna go to something else because I just trust my instincts and trust all the work.

So I’d say your shooting has been good this year. You’re around 35% on deep on pretty good volume. You probably think you can shoot better in the future. One thing I like about your game is I feel like your gathers and your step backs are really smooth. Your footwork has been great going into your shots. How have you developed your shot prep and how has that helped you?

I mean, definitely props to my mom, my family, obviously props to my trainer, Kenny Miller. Coming into the season, that was really the main emphasis. The things we got to work on is probably get your shot a little faster, a little smoother, like not as choppy. We worked at day, nights, whatever. I mean, we are still working it out today, it’s not perfect, but I mean, it’s it’s getting there. It’s definitely now becoming routine just getting to into my shot. (Miller) really did a great job of about having that belief in me when we’re in the gym. You know, I’m shooting stepbacks and the ball ain’t going in the rim and I’m getting mad and stuff like that, but my coaches and trainers always have a belief in me that, you know, the next shot can go in.

I grew up watching your dad with the ‘90s Bulls with MJ. Obviously your dad played with Kobe too before the end of his career. So, what’s one thing he’s told you about MJ and Kobe that has stuck with you over the years as you’ve grown up?

Really just their mentality, how they go about not just basketball, but life. Like, you gotta be here at a certain time, you better be the hardest worker to win. There’s little things like that, like, doing the things you don’t want to do, but you know you’re gonna do it because it’s gonna make you better in the long run. That’s the stuff he really just put in my head, just to show me if these greats did it like, if you, if you do, you got a chance to be up there with them one day.

So I love watching the U19 tournaments every year just to see the next crop of guys, and you were on that team in 2023. You guys lost to France. Team USA does not lose in those competitions, but you look at that France roster and it’s the first two picks last year, Alex Sar, Risahay. They also had Noah Penda who’s gonna be in your draft class. So how do you think that that experience helped you?

It was definitely great for me just seeing how hard you have to play. I mean, I think that’s something that That’s kind of lacked around here in the, in the US now, but when you go out there, you gotta play hard every possession, no plays off, just really, you gotta really know the game out there cause it’s a completely different game FIBA basketball, and you know, and you watch the first couple of games that kind of caught me by surprise just because like, I didn’t know how other teams played, or other countries play stuff like that. So just really go into in a mindset of I’m just keep my ears open, I’m just gonna listen to everything, just take everything in just day by day and so keep on working.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about your game?

I mean, there’s a lot of things, I mean, I think a lot of people have a lot of I have a lot of opinions on my games, stuff like that, little things like, like this, I’m not athletic. Can’t get to, like, can’t jump like that, but I mean, if you see some highlights, I mean, I think it kind of shows you different, but I don’t think, I don’t base my game based off that. So I mean, I think that’s probably why, but I mean, I can do it. I just don’t do it often. So stuff like that, like, maybe like, I’m not as good as a passer, or I’m not, or I’m not as good as a shooter, but I mean, I think I got the stats, you know, if you just watch my game, if you watch a regular regular Rutgers game, I think I can back that up.

One of my, takes every year is that little brothers are usually better than big brothers because they got, you know, their big brother to like go after and to try to beat him, when I’m sure Ron Junior was whooping you when you were growing up for a long time.

So what have you learned from your bro and his experience, you know, in the NBA he’s, you know, he’s been grinding, man. So, you know, what have you just like taken from him growing up and even now seeing him in the league?

I mean, growing up, he never let me win anything. I mean, it was more of like, ain’t no one in this world gonna let you win, why I’m gonna let you win? And my mom would, would always get mad at him, but he stood on all tens and said he, he’s not letting me win. I mean, that definitely helps me me now because Going up against him, he was always 6 years older than me. So when I go against the older guys, I kind of know what to expect from the physicality standpoint, stuff like that. But just really watching how he worked day in and day out, like when I was younger, going to the gym, watching him work out 2 or 3 times a day, little stuff like that. And like you just said, the gauntlet that he’s going through right now in the league, it’s crazy. I be fighting for your life every day, you know, every day is not guaranteed, but I mean, he does a great job just always keeping his, his head high and I really admire that.

People say a lot of things about Ace Bailey. Some people love his game. Some people do not love his game.

First off, I can say Ace Bailey is the best teammate that I’ve had. I mean, all my career, he’s one of the best teammates. He’s always the first guy in the gym, he’s gonna work hard. And he’s the funniest guy, you are always gonna get a laugh out around him. There’s never a dull moment with him.

On the court, I don’t understand how people don’t like his game. I mean, the shots he takes, yeah, everyone says they’re tough shots, this, that and the third, but if you watch him work out, those are the shots he makes. That’s why you will see us getting mad (at the criticism), because that’s him. He does it every day in practice, so why can’t do it in a game? Little stuff like that. And let’s be honest, he takes tough shots, but he’s 6’10, and when he jumps, he’s 7-foot, and no one can contest it.

Who wouldn’t want to have a guy like that in your team where you can give him the ball and it could be an automatic bucket? That’s really him. But I mean, he really does a lot more than that. I think he sees the game very well. He’s a very good defender, very good rebounder. He just does everything well and he’s 6’10. So like, I don’t understand why people don’t like his game. You could say shot selection or anything like that, but I mean, if you look at the shots and you look at workouts, I mean, he’s a great player and a great teammate. Praise to him.

Your mom played college hoops at New Orleans. Everyone knows about your dad’s career, but your mom had to be a hooper too, and I know she was your coach. So like, you know, what did you take from your mom that you think maybe you didn’t get from your dad?

I mean, she’s been coaching me all my life from Kindergarten, first grade all the way up to my senior year of high school, and she was always telling me you gotta be the hardest worker in the gym no matter what. I think that’s something me and her used to argue about. I mean, she always told me like, ‘You got to be that same kid that you were 4 years ago when no one knew your name and you’re out there just playing basketball just because you love the game’ like that should never change. I really take that from her because like, obviously. I’m grateful to have everything that I got right now, but I mean, I still got a lot more work to do. She does a great job of humbling me every day, so I mean props to her. I wouldn’t be here without her.

Point guard, shooting guard, combo guard, lots of different ways to describe you. What kind of situation do you want to see yourself positionally in the NBA? Do you want to go to a team where it’s like, hey, Dylan’s got the ball? Or like some of these teams are gonna have like pretty good players even if they don’t have a great record to where maybe you’re playing a little more off the ball, maybe you’re playing a little more two guard. What do you see in your career?

Obviously, I’m blessed to even have that in the conversation of what I would do in that next level. I just try to stay in the moment right now, you know, just finish the season up strong of Rutgers, but obviously when I get there, I mean, I’m gonna do whatever I got to do to help the team win, whether it’s like you say, play off the ball, play on the ball, this, that and third, I’m gonna do whatever the coach asked me to do and I’m just gonna go out there and try to win.

What’s this partnership been like with Kinder Bueno been like and what are you doing for him?

I mean, it’s kind of been great. My cousin introduced me to Kinder Bueno. I mean right when she gave me one, I liked it right away. It’s kind of irresistible like after a game or practice when you need a little snack, you know, just grab my Kinder Bueno bits. It’s just great company, great brand, you know, what they wanna do for March, I mean, just honestly blessed to be in that situation with them and just we’re gonna have a lot of good things.