Five-stars keep shining: Rutgers men's basketball signees Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey wrap up busy April
While there are still several months to go until college basketball starts back up again, the excitement on the Banks surrounding the Rutgers men's basketball team is building. With the No. 3 recruiting class coming in, how could it not?
Five-star future Scarlet Knights Dylan Harper and Airious "Ace" Bailey have kept busy in the offseason. In recent weeks, the pair has lit it up amongst some of the country's top talents and has continued cementing themselves as stars.
First was the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game at the beginning of April. The McDonald's game gathered 23 of the top 2024 high schoolers and split them into an East versus West matchup. Harper and Bailey were teamed up on the West team.
The duo was in the starting lineup and each played 25 minutes. While Bailey did not have his best performance, scoring just 6 points, Harper showed out with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists on 9-16 shooting. Team West ultimately fell 88-86, but Harper's elite play earned him co-MVP honors alongside Maryland commit Derik Queen.
Next up in Bailey and Harper's busy April was the 2024 Nike Hoops Summit, where Team USA took on Team World. Team USA was headlined by Bailey, Harper and Duke commit Cooper Flagg while Team World had Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe and 2025 five-star AJ Dybansta leading the way. Bailey and Harper scored 14 points apiece as Team USA rolled to a 98-75 victory.
Lastly was the Jordan Brand Classic with Team Flight versus Team Air. Bailey and Harper were both selected to play in the game, but Bailey had other commitments on game day and did not make it. Harper was there, though, and he made sure the world noticed.
Harper shined and had the crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on its feet all night long. Harper's main highlight was a trio of back-to-back-to-back three-pointers. The 9 points scored off those threes were just a fraction of the 30 that he finished with en route to a Team Flight victory.
The cherry on top was Harper's silky smooth game-winning three before he then earned MVP honors.
Harper looked like the best player on the floor the whole night, and he made sure to let the world know.
"I'm number one," Harper emphatically exclaimed after his game-winner.
While Harper may not truly hold the No. 1 spot in the 2024 class via 247Sports' composite rankings, his recent play in these games up against all the other top competition in his class certainly makes things debatable. And Bailey is right there with him.
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