It was a historic day for Rutgers basketball as it saw Caleb McConnell capture the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.
“We’re really happy for Caleb and we wanted to make sure we were all there together when he found out,” Harper Jr. said. “It’s a really special moment for us as a team and a guy like Caleb. After everything he’s been through with the ups and downs and injuries, to be where he is today is remarkable.”
All five of Rutgers’ starters also earned conference honors as Harper Jr. was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while Baker got Third Team recognition. Paul Mulcahy, McConnell, and Cliff Omoruyi were Honorable Mentions as well.
“We’re a really well-rounded group and I feel like if some of the guys on the bench had a little more opportunity they could be All-Big Ten caliber players too,” Harper Jr. continued. “We’ve had a great year and it’s good for all five guys to be recognized like that and it just shows how well as a collective group we work and play together.”
While Harper Jr. is thankful for being named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, he feels he never would have gotten there if not for the people around him.
“It’s cool but I would say it’s never about me, I wouldn’t be in this position without my coaches and teammates,” he said. “They put me in those kinds of positions so to be recognized like that I’m truly grateful but it’s never about me and I’m just happy that we finished fourth in the Big Ten.”
Despite going into the Big Ten Tournament with the double-bye as the fourth seed, their highest seed ever, Harper Jr. believes the Scarlet Knights still have a lot to prove in Indianapolis.
“I feel like going into the Big Ten Tournament we have to look at ourselves as the underdog because I feel like no matter who we play in the quarterfinal game we’re going to be looked at as the underdog,” he said. “One thing the guys need to realize is that we weren’t too many games from a Big Ten regular-season championship so let’s go get a Big Ten Tournament championship.”
Harper Jr. also feels this extra time off will only serve them better as they look to capture a conference championship.
“We’re definitely grateful to have those days off,” he said. “We haven’t had the pleasure of having that the past couple of years so it’s definitely going to be good for how our bodies feel.”
While Rutgers sports wins against upper-echelon Big Ten teams, it has also lost to squads in the lower half so Harper Jr. knows for his team to be successful they will need to be ready for anything.
“There are no gimmes in the Big Ten, whoever we’re playing in that first round we better be prepared for a hard-fought 40-minute game,” he said. “No matter who we play in the Big Ten tournament we’ve got to be able to lock in mentally. This is the most important stretch of the season.”
Echoing the same sentiments as head coach Steve Pikiell earlier in the year, Harper Jr. believes this is the best team he has played on since becoming a Scarlet Knight and feels their tough start to the season only made them stronger.
“I think this is the best team I’ve played on since I’ve been here,” he added. “I feel like our chemistry is just levels ahead of where it’s been in the past and I think we really just gel well together as a group. We had a couple of rough patches but I think it’s important for a good team to go through that and the way we’ve gotten better as the season progresses really shows a lot about our character and what we can accomplish as a team.”
While the Scarlet Knights appear to be in a good position when it comes to their NCAA Tournament chances, Harper Jr. is not taking anything for granted and knows going forward they will need to be on their A-game otherwise they could risk being left out of the field altogether.
“We have to go into every game preparing for it to be one of our last,” he said. “Who knows how many games this group has left together and we kind of get to dictate how that goes.”
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