Rutgers freshmen picked No. 2 and No. 5 in first round of 2025 NBA Draft
Freshman Dylan Harper was picked No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs and freshman Ace Baily was picked No. 5 by the Utah Jazz.
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History repeated itself at Rutgers University on Wednesday evening.
In all its basketball history, Rutgers had a player go in the Top 10 of the NBA draft only once before. James Bailey was drafted sixth overall in 1979.
And now, more than 45 years later, it has happened again - twice.
Freshman Dylan Harper was picked No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs and freshman Ace Baily was picked No. 5 by the Utah Jazz.
Harper is a Franklin Lakes native who played high school ball at Don Bosco Prep.
No. 2 is the highest a Rutgers player has ever been drafted.
RELATED: Don Bosco Prep basketball star commits to play at Rutgers
According to the Associated Press’s scouting report, Harper is a lefty who thrived as a scorer and lead ballhandler with two-way potential. He notably scored 36 points against Notre Dame, then 37 a day later against then-No. 9 Alabama in November.
He is the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper. He turned 19 this past March.
Ace Bailey is a Tennessee native who attended high school in Powder Springs, Georgia.
[twitter] https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1938044457942725114 [/twitter]
According to the Associated Press scouting report, Bailey is a versatile, athletic shotmaker, with midrange and stepback skills. The 18-year-old turns 19 in August.
[twitter] https://x.com/RutgersMBB/status/1938035315744379098 [/twitter]
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.
