FILE - Rutgers' Ace Bailey speaks during the Big Ten men's NCAA college basketball media day Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Rosemont, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
It’s not that uncommon for blueblood programs to have two five-star prospects arrive on campus the same year.
It rarely happens at schools that don’t have that kind of tradition. And that’s what makes No. 25 Rutgers one of the most intriguing stories of the season as the Scarlet Knights welcome Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
Bailey was the nation’s No. 2 prospect in his high school class and Harper was No. 3, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. The impact they can have as freshman teammates became apparent Oct. 17 when Rutgers faced St. John’s in a preseason exhibition. Rutgers lost 91-85, but Bailey scored 25 points and Harper added 20.
“Dylan, for a freshman, he’s got so much control,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said after the game. “He plays like a senior. He’s so much under control. He’s got a lot of Clyde Frazier in him, the way he plays. He was amazing. Ace just has great talent. Both of them are great. I think they’re terrific. Obviously they deserve the ranking that they’re getting.”
Bailey, who is 6-10, averaged 33.4 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.9 blocks while winning a state title his senior year at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Harper, the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper, had 23 points per game his senior year at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey.
“They’re great kids, first and foremost,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “They’re really good passers. They’ve got to learn some things. College defense is something they’re going to continue to get better at. But they’re exciting.”
247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein said Harper is more polished at this point, but Bailey has the greater upside.
“I think it’s very possible that Harper is the more consistently productive college freshman and Bailey gets picked higher in the draft,” Finkelstein said. “I think Bailey, with a great year, could contend for that No. 1 overall pick. Harper, it wouldn’t surprise me if he can contend with (Duke’s) Cooper (Flagg) to be as impactful a college freshman as there is in the country.”
Some other freshmen who should make a major impact this season:
Jalil Bethea, G, Miami
Bethea, ranked seventh in the 247Sports composite, is a 6-5 guard from Philadelphia who had 22.7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game his senior year at Archbishop Wood. He was named Pennsylvania’s Gatorade player of the year.
“He’s a dynamic shooter,” Finkelstein said. “Physically he’s not at the same level. But he’s a tough shot-maker who still manages to shoot really high percentages.”
VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor
No. 8 Baylor has had a freshman drafted in the first round each of the last three years (Jeremy Sochan 9th overall in 2022, Keyonte George 16th in 2023, Ja’Kobe Walter 19th in 2024). Edgecombe could be the next freshman to join that list. The 6-5 guard was ranked fourth in the 247Sports Composite. He’s from the Bahamas but attended high school at Long Island (New York) Lutheran.
“You’re talking about a truly elite athlete, really competitive on both ends of the floor,” Finkelstein said.
Cooper Flagg, G/F, Duke
Flagg is the first freshman to make the Associated Press preseason All-America since Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham in 2020, according to SportsRadar.
The 6-9 swingman for No. 7 Duke was named the Gatorade national player of the year, Naismith national player of the year and a McDonald’s All-American his senior year at Montverde (Florida) Academy.
Finkelstein says Flagg’s game is similar to that of former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko but added that the Duke freshman might have a higher ceiling. Kirilenko is a former All-Star who played for Utah from 2001-11.
“Kirilenko, like Cooper, was a hugely impactful defender despite the fact he wasn’t a 7-footer,” Finkelstein said. “I’ve said Cooper’s the best shot blocker I’ve ever seen who’s not a 7-footer, at least at this stage. But offensively he’s got a ton of versatility to him too, and a real killer instinct about him.”
Tre Johnson, G, Texas
Johnson arrives at No. 19 Texas after scoring 2,563 points in four years of high school basketball and had 17 points in 24 minutes at the McDonald’s All-American Game. Rated fifth in the 247Sports composite, the 6-6 guard is from Garland, Texas, but finished his high school career at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.
“He loves to shoot off the dribble,” Finkelstein said. “I expect he’s going to be given a pretty green light in Texas to really pursue that individual offense, and it’s going to be about whether he can show that potent scoring ability and maintain his efficiency in order to help impact winning.”
Liam McNeeley, F, UConn
McNeeley figures to move right into the starting lineup for the two-time defending national champions, since No. 3 UConn lost four starters from last year’s team. The 6-7 forward is ranked 17th in the 247Sports. He played at Montverde Academy the last two seasons.
“He’s skilled,” Finkelstein said. “He’s got real size. He’s got real basketball IQ. He’s going to a system where he’s going to be able to use all his best assets.”
Asa Newell, F, Georgia
This 6-11 forward from Montverde Academy scored a team-high 20 points in Georgia’s preseason exhibition victory over Charlotte. Newell was ranked 15th in the 247Sports composite. Finkelstein noted that Newell actually came off the bench for much of his time at Montverde.
“Now he goes to a Georgia program where he may actually be more highlighted as a freshman in college than he was as a senior in high school,” Finkelstein said.
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By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
