Dylan Harper recalls when he met Rutgers HC Steve Pikiell for the first time through his brother

Dylan Harper is among the many talked-about prospects in the 2024 freshman class. The five-star recruit is set to make his debut with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Harper spoke in an interview with the Big Ten media about his family's NBA legacy, specifically at Rutgers. The guard's older brother Ron Harper Jr. played for the Scarlet Knights before moving to the NBA in 2022. When asked about the time he first met coach Steve Pikiell, Dylan Harper said:

"Home visit. My brother's first home visit, his senior year. Coach Pike and Coach Knight, they both came to the house to spend time, eat dinner with us. I remember we had this little basketball hoop in the basement."

"Coach Pike was down there, you know, playing with us, making jokes, stuff like that. So honestly, just had a great first time meeting him." (1:12)

Harper also shared that coach Pikiell joked with him about possibly recruiting him. However, when it came down to it, he assured Harper that it was because of his skills and not his connections to the team.

"The main thing he always told me is that he's not recruiting me just for my brother," Harper said (1:51). "He's recruiting me for me too, which was honestly special for me because he was just like, 'Yeah, your brother had all this, but we're here because of you. We love your game, we see something very bright in you.'"

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Dylan Harper shares his goals for the season

Rutgers has endured a few disappointing seasons back-to-back. The Scarlet Knights last played in the NCAA tournament in 2022, and the furthest they've advanced is the second round in 2021.

With the addition of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, the Scarlet Knights have raised the expectations for this season and ranked No. 25 on AP pre-season polls. With this in mind, Harper shared that he is more focused on his team than on achieving his personal goals with the team for his freshman season.

"For me, it is not more of a mark I want to leave, he said (via 247 Sports). "I think it's the team, as a group, what we are going to leave. At the end of the day, you are not going to remember stats and stuff like that. You are going to remember wins and losses. …You can't win alone. You have to win with a whole group of guys."

Harper is set to make his college debut on Wednesday against Wagner.

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