It’s a dark Thursday afternoon in late September as Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper descend the steps of the RWJBarnabas Well being Athletic Efficiency Heart—Rutgers’ still-new glowing observe facility. The campus, tucked away in Piscataway, NJ, is quiet, however just for a second. The freshman duo cross the road and arrive beneath the sky bridge that connects the observe facility to the Enterprise Faculty’s (additionally new) constructing.
The pair of six-story constructions are wrapped in summary silver paneling with crystal clear glass composing the total face of the primary wing’s entrance. Ten white beams sit at an angle supporting the L-shaped walkway above. Black adirondack chairs and tables are sprawled out beneath the shade that the cover above supplies. It’s a sick scene. Flick worthy for positive.
SLAM 253 that includes Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper is accessible now.
As we wipe away rain that fell on the chairs simply quarter-hour earlier than, the doorways of the constructing swing open. Class is out. College students carrying sweatpants, backpacks, slides and with iPhones in arms pour out of the automated double doorways.
Initially, the children don’t pay any thoughts to the 6-10 and 6-6 freshmen who can be main the Scarlet Knights into the 2024-25 season as one of the talked-about groups within the nation. After which Dylan begins messing together with his boy.
“Free footage with Ace Bailey! Ace Bailey’s right here!” Dylan, who’s carrying a black Rick Owens jacket and black PRPS denims, calls out to the gang of scholars making an attempt to make it to their subsequent class. Ace isn’t having it.
“THE Dylan Harper. 5 {dollars} for a photograph with Dylan Harper!”
The 2 travel for 30 seconds, till a bunch of scholars begins to assemble. This wasn’t the intention. They have been simply making an attempt to mess with one another. A wholesome stability of embarrassment, if you’ll. However earlier than we all know it, a line has fashioned and the 2 have created a routine that’s down pat.
Dylan holds the adidas basketball stamped with the Rutgers R and stands to the appropriate. Ace, who’s carrying a black sweatsuit with purple accents from the Life-style Sports activities Company, which was based by Sharife Cooper’s dad, Omar, and at present reps the Tennessee native, stands to the left with room in between them. They wave somebody over and Dylan asks in the event that they need to maintain the ball. They smile whereas a pal takes the photograph. A couple of dap-ups observe and encouragement for the season, then it’s off to class, the eating corridor or the dorm. After about 5 minutes, the road disperses, and Ace and Dylan go proper again to posing for his or her SLAM cowl shoot.
This has by no means been the norm for Rutgers basketball. Impromptu meet and greets. Offered-out season tickets months out from the season. Thirty-plus journalists displaying up for media day. All of it represents only a little bit of the hype that this pair of freshmen have injected into this system.
Because the No. 2 and No. 4 gamers within the Class of 2024 (per ESPN), Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are the highest-ranked recruits to ever swimsuit up within the Scarlet purple. And that’s no shade to the likes of Phil Sellers, James Bailey and different Rutgers legends, however the vitality round campus this yr is totally different. These children don’t simply stroll with the gusto of rock stars, they play prefer it, too. NBA scouts, head coach Steve Pikiell and the scholars who simply bought out of sophistication all realize it. And to assume it began with a Massive Ten win practically two years in the past.
It’s January 15, 2023, and Ace Bailey is on his official go to to Rutgers. He’s with now-sophomore Jamichael Davis, sitting behind the bench ready for Ohio State vs. Rutgers to tip.
“After which Coach Pike’s coming down speaking to me and J-Mike [Jamichael Davis] like, Come on, put your stuff on. Y’all prepared? That simply confirmed us proper there that he’s excited for us to return down,” Ace says. “And I’m nonetheless a junior, I wasn’t even a senior but. So, him saying that, it meant quite a bit to tell us he’s prepared. He’s able to pour into us and provides it his all. So we’re prepared to offer our all for him.”
Amid the hype and pleasure within the locker room after watching the staff rally collectively for an exhilarating time beyond regulation win, Ace knew that this was the place he was purported to be. He leaned over to Coach Pikiell and verbally dedicated to this system on the spot.
“I didn’t have any concept that I used to be going to commit that day, however what I felt within the locker room was one thing that I needed to be part of. So I dedicated, and from there we went out to eat,” Ace says. “B. Knight [associate head coach Brandin Knight] known as Dylan and was like, Speak to Dylan. And I used to be like, I simply did it, it’s your flip now. He was like, I bought you.”