4/2/2021 basketball Edit

Rutgers Hoops Ron Harper Jr declares for NBA Draft, maintains eligibility

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

It’s been a busy offseason for Rutgers Basketball as they already lost two players as Myles Johnson and Jacob Young both entered their names in the portal and the 2021 NBA Draft. Now it is possible that they may lose a third player too, as junior forward Ron Harper Jr. has announced via social media that he has also entered the NBA Draft.

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Harper Jr. had a hot start to the season as he was considered one of the best forwards in the entire nation early on and despite a mid-season slump still finished ranked as one of the top forwards, as he was named a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, an award given annually to the nation’s top small forward.

The North Jersey native just completed his third season with the Knights last month and it was his best season to date, as he averaged 14.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game all while shooting 44.1% from the field. He was also a key cog in not only getting Rutgers ranked as high as number 11 in the AP Polls, but also helped them break the 30 year NCAA Tournament drought and even won a game in the tourney too.

Now, while Harper Jr. has declared for the draft, he did leave the door open for a return as he stated the following in his announcement, “With that being said I will be entering my name into the 2021 NBA Draft, while maintaining my eligibility.”

It’s still unknown if Harper Jr. will be drafted or not at the moment, but he was at one time rated this year rated high as a first round pick and TKR wrote about it back in the middle of the season here. However right now he is currently rated anywhere between a late second rounder to an undrafted free agent.

Stay tuned for more on Harper Jr. and Rutgers Basketball right here on The Knight Report!