Duke Basketball Recruiters Involved in 'Stalemate' for Top Guard

Some might say any delay in Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) combo guard Dylan Harper deciding on a college is a good sign for Duke basketball's chances to land the 6-foot-5, 180-pound five-star. Perhaps it means Rutgers, where his older brother, Ron Harper Jr., starred on his way to realizing his NBA dream, hasn't locked things up yet.

Harper, a crafty lefty who ranks No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, has been down to a final five of Auburn, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, and Rutgers since January. Earlier this month, he hinted at an announcement on the horizon by asking on Instagram if anyone knows "how to make commitment edits."

Around the same time, predictions piled up — now 10 altogether between the 247Sports Crystal Ball, Rivals FutureCast, and On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine — all in favor of Rutgers to reel in the son of former five-time NBA champion Ron Harper. But his Instagram post and the flurry of picks are over three weeks old.

And Dylan Harper still hasn't revealed a decision date.

Dylan Harper's skills were on full display tonight at the SLAM Summer Classic 📸 pic.twitter.com/nbnQxfnb2S
— NBA (@NBA) August 20, 2023

Meanwhile, 247Sports' Travis Branham, a national recruiting insider who hasn't yet officially forecasted the high-profile recruitment, confirms a two-horse race between Duke and Rutgers.

"It seems to be at a bit of a stalemate," Branham explained during 247Sports' College Basketball Recruiting Weekly show on Saturday. "I think [Duke and Rutgers] are in very good shape here...My information is it doesn't seem like a commitment is coming imminently, in that this will continue to drag out."

In other words, even though the recent uptick in reported Duke basketball interest in other 2024 backcourt talents suggests backup plans might be coming to the forefront in the Blue Devils' quest for a heralded guard, one still shouldn't entirely rule out second-year head coach Jon Scheyer and his gang for Harper's services.

That said, remember that it's been over 10 months since Harper got an inside look at the Duke basketball program during an official visit that coincided with the 2022-23 edition of Countdown to Craziness. There's been no word on a return trip in the works.

Furthermore, Ron Harper Sr. hasn't been shy this summer about expressing what it would mean to the family for his son to remain in New Jersey by choosing Rutgers.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.