Five-star friendship: Freshmen phenoms Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey bring chemistry to Rutgers men's basketball
It's all about the freshmen.
Guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey are bringing unprecedented hype and a whole lot of friendship to Rutgers men's basketball.
The Scarlet Knights bringing in two five-star recruits is uncharted territory, but with the connection Harper and Bailey have, no one should be surprised that they came to Piscataway together.
"It was never always about basketball … (We) call, FaceTime, stuff like that," Harper said. "We've been best of friends. We talk every day now — even before we got to campus … we were always talking. The love we have is the loyalty we got for each other."
Harper hails from New Jersey, while Bailey is from Tennessee and played high school ball in Georgia. So, where did the friendship come from?
"Ninth-grade summer, 10th-grade summer — it was one of those summers," Bailey said. "I went on my visit, I talked to (Harper) on the phone with (associate head coach Brandin Knight), and the energy just went from there."
Similarly to Harper, Bailey emphasized the pair's loyalty to each other as players and friends, which made them close and ultimately brought them to Rutgers.
"He showed loyalty. I showed loyalty," Bailey said. "One thing I'm always big on is loyalty — I'll take that over love any day."
Bailey's Georgia side shows strong, as his quote sounds like a song lyric straight from Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage's song "ball w/o you."
While their friendship is admirable, it is vital that Harper and Bailey display the same chemistry on the court as the two top players for the Knights. But the duo has expressed that there should be no doubt about this.
"(Bailey) knows my game. I know his game," Harper said. "He goes backdoor — I'll throw it up. I go back door — he'll pass it. The camaraderie we both have together is special."
With Harper's passing ability and Bailey's high-flying athleticism, Rutgers fans can expect to see them connect on quite a few alley-oops this season.
"(Harper) sees everything: the lobs, the backdoors, coming off curls and things like that," Bailey said.
While the two will be at the forefront of all conversations regarding the Knights, they recognize that it takes a complete team to be successful, and the duo has plenty of appreciation for the support around them.
"All 13 of us can play," Harper said. "Every day we all come out there with the same common goal. One through 13, starters, best players — we all contribute."
With all the spotlight shining on Harper and Bailey heading into Rutgers' season opener against Wagner, the two young stars look to produce success while remaining levelheaded.
"It's a lot of expectations — we're here to play ball," Bailey said. "We're gonna do our best to take the team as far as we can."
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