No Better Advertising for Rutgers Basketball Than The 2025 NBA Draft

This past Sunday, Dylan Harper threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium before the Yankees-Orioles game. Last night, Ace Bailey threw out the first pitch at Citi Field before the Mets took on the Braves. You would be correct in thinking that's how desperate both New York ballclubs are to find decent pitching during their collective June swoons.

No, Harper and Bailey aren't ditching their pro basketball careers to chase glory on the baseball diamond. Instead, they continue to ride the hype of their 2025 NBA draft prospects, drawing the attention of New York's sports teams, media, and fans.

For Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell and the coaching staff, seeing their two prized former players dominating the sports news cycle ahead of the NBA draft is better than any sales pitch they could make to recruits. When Rutgers' assistant basketball coach, Jay Young, traveled to Europe this past spring, he didn't have to explain to portal targets Harun Zrno of Bosnia and Denis Badalau of Romania who Rutgers was.

"They (both) knew Ace and Dylan," Pikiell recently told Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press. "This is how Ace and Dylan help you. In their mind, if Rutgers was good enough for them, it's good enough for me. Ace and Dylan helped us get this recruiting class."

Last season was the most disappointing in the program's history, falling woefully short of expectations. Still, with increased national television exposure, an appearance in the inaugural Players Era Festival in Las Vegas against the nation's best, and Bailey and Harper making the cover of SLAM Magazine and Sports Illustrated, Rutgers was constantly in the spotlight. Despite the team's poor on-court performance, the program continues to benefit from having two lottery picks on campus for a season.

This week, as the draft crept ever closer, Harper and Bailey were back on campus working out, prior to their NBA Draft Media Day appearances. When Bailey spoke to the press in New York City on Tuesday, he energetically answered questions, including his unwillingness to work out for the Philadelphia 76ers, all the while wearing a Rutgers hoodie. For a player from Tennessee who spent one lone season on the banks, Rutgers clearly made a lasting impression.

Harper, when asked by a reporter about his jersey roots and his thoughts on his time at Rutgers was highly complimentary.

"I definitely had a great time at Rutgers. It probably didn't go as everyone expected, but it shaped me to be a better man and a better person, off the court, on the court, obviously a better player. The group of coaches really poured it all into me for that one year."

That's billboard material for coach Pikiell, who, in the age of NIL, needs any edge he can get to recruit top-tier players to Piscataway. For those attending the NBA Draft watch party tonight at Tavern on the George in New Brunswick, don't be surprised if you happen to catch head coach Pikiell beaming a little brighter than usual when Dylan Harper is selected with the second pick by the San Antonio Spurs, making future recruiting pitches a little less complicated.

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