Twenty years since the NCAA had seen this. The college championship may have seen some offensive phenomena, from Zion Williamson to Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant and Trae Young, but no player had scored 35 points or more in two consecutive games for two decades.
However, this is the feat achieved by Dylan Harper Tuesday and Wednesday. The Rutgers guard took advantage of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas to break the bank with 36 points against Notre Dame, then 37 last night against Alabama. The only downside is the defeat of the Scarlet Knights (95-90) at the end of a thrilling match.
“ It's obviously an honor just to be in this elite scoring category, but the most important thing for me is to win » responded Dylan Harper at a press conference.
The son of former NBA player, Ron Harper, will not have much to reproach himself for in this setback. He indeed excelled all evening, offering some very high-level offensive moves. He finished at 11/19 on shots, and a superb 15/16 on free throws in a show of aggression towards the circle. Explosive, well above average in terms of agility on supports and dribbling, the 18-year-old amazed all observers.
“ He goes to the circle pretty much whenever he wants » could only deplore the Alabama coach, Nate Oats. “ We didn't have anyone to hold him off the screen. He has strength, physical qualities when he attacks the basket. »
83% shooting near the circle
At 1m96, Dylan Harper shoots an impressive 83% in the area around the hoop, with a high volume of almost seven attempts per game. If he still needs to improve on his outside shooting, his ability to dominate his opponents in one-on-one positions him even more among the most serious potentials in the country.
To the point that some see him as a potential competitor to Cooper Flagg to be the first called up in the next Draft. Dylan Harper is in “competition” with his teammate Ace Baileyalso very good against Alabama (22 points at 9/18), currently ninth in the NCAA ranking.
“ We've had some prospects like this ourselves, and these two guys are elite » summarized Nate Oats, who recently had the Hornet Brandon Miller, future number 2 in the Draft, under his command. “ We showed that we could fight with anyone in the country » said Dylan Harper. “ Obviously, we narrowly lost, but collectively, we sometimes have to lose just a little bit to have the season we really want. »
Having become the third highest scorer in the NCAA with an average of 24.6 points now (in addition to his 4.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists), Dylan Harper also helped limit Alabama star Mark Sears (24 points but 7/19 shooting). ).
The kind of performance that could carry him very high in the next Draft… and further encourage certain NBA franchises not to chase victories too much this season.
