Dylan Harper Shines in His Rutgers Debut
Dylan Harper showed Rutgers Nation why he was one of the top recruits in the Nation on Wednesday as he powered the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to a 75-52 victory over Wagner on Opening night at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Before a sellout crowd, Harper hit on 9-of-14 shots to lead the team with 20 points, three rebounds, three steals, and four turnovers.
“It was a dream come true, to be honest,” Harper said afterward. “I remember coming here when I was little, watching my brother and all the other guys play. Now getting my chance to play in front of this crowd, in front of the Riot Squad, it is crazy and honestly a blessing.”
For Harper playing in front of a sold-out Jersey Mike’s Arena had to feel full circle for him. He watched his brother Ron Harper Jr. excel at Rutgers under Head Coach Steve Pikiell for four years. Now he is the one on the floor of C. Vivian Stringer Court.
I’m proud Dylan (Harper) did, and the rest of our freshman class,” Pikiell said. “But, Zach (Martini) Tyson (Acuff), all those guys picked us too. So, it’s great to have them. We saw today, that Dylan (Harper) is multi-positioned, can do a lot on the court, and his best days are ahead of him too. So it’s an exciting thing for Dylan Harper”.
Overall, Rutgers dominated the contest against Wagner. The Scarlet Knights shot 51 percent of the field, and even put together a 20-0 run in the first half that flipped an early five-point deficit into a 15-point lead with 3:35 to go before halftime.
“We had a stretch there where we were as good as you can do,” Pikell added. “20-0 run, they didn’t score for 10 minutes I think was the minute mark, so improving. We got a long way to go in that area, we’ll break down film and that’s the other great part about this group.”
Freshman Lathan Sommerville also had an impact, posting 11 points, including scoring nine consecutive points as Rutgers’ offense really started to click in the first half.
“He’s an excellent passer but what I was most excited about was that he went up and grabbed eight rebounds, and he grabbed them in traffic too, so I like seeing those things but if he can rebound like that, he’s going to be in a good place. So I’m proud of him and how he attacked the rebounds today.”
PJ Hayes added 12 points and Jeremiah Williams scored 10 points in 24 minutes on the floor.
INJURIES: Ace Bailey did not play in Wednesday’s opener after getting scratched in the afternoon. Coach Pikiell said Bailey suffered an injury in practice on Monday.
“We always want to make sure we take care of our guys, but day-to-day,” Pikiell added.
NEXT:
Rutgers will host St. Peter’s on Monday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
