Rutgers star Dylan Harper earns 1st award of college career

Within the first two weeks of his college career, Dylan Harper has picked up the first of what may be many awards. The star Rutgers guard was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week after standout performances in wins over Saint Peter’s and Monmouth, the league announced Monday. He is the first Scarlet Knight to win the award since his older brother Ron Harper Jr. earned it six years ago, and becomes the fourth player in program history to win it alongside Geo Baker and Corey Sanders (twice). Harper averaged 22 points on 53.8% shooting from the floor (14-of-26) and 92.9% from the free throw line (13-of-14), 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a block in victories over the Peacocks and Hawks. On Friday, he scored 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting (2-of-3 on threes, 6-of-6 on free throws), dished six assists, grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot in a 98-81 victory over Monmouth. On Monday, he scored 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting (1-of-6 on threes, 7-of-8 on free throws), grabbed six rebounds and dished an assist. Harper is the second Rutgers freshman to score at least 20 points in the first three games of his career since program legend Phil Sellers. He can surpass “The Thrill” and set the program record if he extends his streak to four games by scoring 20 or more points against Merrimack on Wednesday. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.