Ron Harper Jr., owner of some of the biggest shots in Rutgers basketball history, announced Wednesday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft.
Harper, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer to stun top-ranked Purdue at Jersey Mikes Arena earlier this season, announced the news via his Instagram.
“The last four years have been nothing short of a dream come true,” Harper wrote in his Instagram post. “I’ve made countless relationships that will last a lifetime. I watched the RAC/JMA transform into the nation’s best home court advantage. It’s simple. The fans are the reason!”
“These are the fans that have embraced me since I stepped onto the Rutgers campus in 2018. They are the best fans in college basketball, hands down.”
When Harper first arrived in Piscataway in 2018, the Scarlet Knights were consistent basement-dwellers in the Big 10, decades removed from their last competitive teams that were headlined by Quincy Douby. But with Harper in the fold, Rutgers made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1976, and had it not been for the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, he would have been a part of three straight tournament teams.
When Rutgers was in desperate need of another Quad 1 victory to solidify this year’s tournament bid, Harper buried a clutch 3-pointer just seconds after Indiana tied the game with a triple of its own, giving Rutgers a 66-63 lead with two seconds to go, and a much-needed road victory. That came months after he knocked down a go-ahead fadeaway jumper against the top-ranked Boilermakers in Piscataway, and after Purdue regained the lead with three seconds to go, knocked down a desperation heave from just over halfcourt to finish off one of the biggest wins in program history.
In this year’s First Four matchup with Notre Dame, in what would be his final game for Rutgers, Harper buried a game-tying three from way downtown with 22 seconds left in double overtime, one period after he banked in another deep three to give RU the lead with 49 seconds left in the first overtime. He finished with 22 points while shooting 9-for-14 from the field in the double overtime loss.
Harper, a New Jersey native and a graduate of Don Bosco Prep, is a projected second-round pick after shooting 40 percent from downtown and 44 percent from the field in his final season on the banks.
“From two-star prospect to All-American, all the credit goes to the people in my loving circle,” Harper said. “You’ve helped me realize a dream I thought was impossible growing up. Now it is time for me to pursue another dream of mine.
“I am declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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