Crazy looking back at this video now knowing where Dylan Harper is just four years later.
Back when
@strictlybball was looking for someone in the NY/BK area to cover a game between Bryce James' Strive For Greatness (
@TeamSFG_EYBL) and Dylan Harper's NY Renaissance (
@NYRHoops), I jumped at the opportunity. I didn't have much filming experience, but I was a basketball junkie, and knowing there was a chance LeBron would be in the building made it an easy yes.
What I didn't expect was to walk away absolutely blown away by
@dy1anharper.
At the time, Dylan was ranked around 28th nationally. He went for 32 points that day and looked like the best player on the floor by a mile. With all the attention on Bryce and LeBron sitting courtside, Dylan completely stole the show. It wasn't just the scoring either. At 16 years old, the game looked effortless for him. The pace, the feel, the poise, and the ability to get wherever he wanted on the floor. It was obvious he was special, and the rankings hadn't caught up yet.
I remember texting
@nolannewberg and
@jd3hoops, the founders of StrictlyBBall, afterward saying Harper was one to watch.
Fast forward 4 years.
Dylan has gone from being ranked 28th in the country to a Rutgers star, the No. 2 overall pick, and now a key piece on a Spurs team playing in the NBA Finals. He put up 16 points and 8 rebounds in Game 1 with real impact on both sides of the floor. The kid is the truth, and it feels like this is only the beginning.
Pretty cool full-circle moment and a reminder of why I fell in love with grassroots basketball in the first place. Sometimes you get to watch the future before everyone else realizes it.