Rutgers star freshmen embracing Steve Pikiell’s tough love: ‘Take the world by storm’

Everything astir Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper is different than what Rutgers is utilized to isolated from nan measurement that they want to beryllium coached.

Close friends Bailey and Harper — nan No. 2- and No. 3-ranked recruits successful nan people of 2024 — sent daze waves done nan assemblage hoops scenery by spurning countless bluish bloods to squad up together astatine Rutgers.

It is an overseas lucifer of 2 imaginable one-and-done NBA lottery picks pinch a programme that has 1 NCAA Tournament triumph since 1984 and a defensive-minded coach successful Steve Pikiell who made his estimation connected processing overlooked recruits into stars carrying a spot connected their shoulder.

The cardinal to making it activity is that Bailey and Harper — on pinch 3 different freshmen successful Rutgers’ highest-ever-rated recruiting people — opportunity they want to beryllium coached hard.

“I don’t want immoderate sugarcoating,” Bailey told The Post. “I don’t want thing handed to maine nice. I want to activity for it and gain it, and that’s what he’s making america do. I want it to beryllium existent and loyal.”

Bailey committed first, but Harper’s family ties and New Jersey roots — positive independently earned NIL endorsements — made this once-in-a-generation business possible.

One of Pikiell’s hidden gems was Ron Harper Jr., Dylan’s older relative and a prima of nan squad that ended a 30-year NCAA Tournament drought successful 2021.

The goals nowadays are overmuch bigger.

“I person it successful nan backmost of my mind to alteration nan civilization and nan communicative and cognize you tin triumph anywhere,” Dylan Harper said. “It doesn’t person to beryllium each these [same] schools. Me and Ace, coming successful pinch nan remainder of our guys, we’re going to return nan world by storm.”

First things first.

Bailey and Harper glided astir nan level astatine a caller practice, making plays pinch easiness starring up to Wednesday’s play opener against Wagner successful Piscataway.

“You don’t spot these types of dunks each time successful believe successful nan Ivy League,” quipped transportation Zach Martini, a personnel of Princeton’s Sweet 16 squad successful 2023. “Ace has unwavering assurance and Dylan is specified a awesome passer.”

But Pikiell’s movie sessions are no-holds-barred.

“Who wouldn’t want to beryllium coached hard?” Harper said. “If personification is telling you worldly you want to perceive each nan time, really are you going to get better? We spell to movie sessions and he’s yelling astatine us, but we return it arsenic he conscionable wants america to beryllium better. He wants to triumph for illustration us.”

It won’t beryllium easy for nan teenagers to artifact retired expectations erstwhile nan assemblage for practices regularly includes NBA scouts and wide managers — 1 of whom showed up for a week straight.

“We aren’t worried astir nan extracurricular noise,” Bailey said. “We cognize what we person and we’re trying to scope our goals: Focus connected getting each different better, triumph nan Big Ten and past triumph nan full thing.”

Every location crippled has been sold retired since June for nan chance to spot nan move duo and what Pikiell vows is simply a much up-tempo marque of basketball.

“They are large capable to station up, yet I tin iso them, yet they are really bully successful pick-and-rolls, too,” Pikiell said. “Moving them astir pinch nan guys that complement their talents has been a nosy exercise. They walk nan heck retired of nan ball, too. Sometimes I person to bring them successful and say, ‘Whoa, whoa, it’s clip for you to people now.’ ”

If Bailey and Harper enactment healthy, it will beryllium Rutgers pinch nan chance to people large successful March.

Why Rutgers will make nan NCAA Tournament

The talent level is nan champion successful Piscataway successful decades. Four transfers fresh astir Harper and Bailey for illustration pieces successful a jigsaw puzzle: An on-ball defender (Jordan Derkack), a sharpshooter (PJ Hayes IV), a measurement scorer (Tyson Acuff) a been-there-done-that leader (Martini). Gone are nan days of trying to grind retired wins by keeping scores successful nan 50s.

Why Rutgers will miss nan NCAA Tournament

How quickly tin a squad pinch 9 newcomers and 3 returners gel? Non-blue bloods pinch No. 1 wide NBA draught picks person grounded earlier (see: Ben Simmons astatine LSU, Markelle Fultz astatine Washington and Anthony Edwards astatine Georgia). The Big Ten is simply a rugged, defensive-oriented league. Rutgers mightiness autumn short astatine that extremity of nan floor.

3 Key Questions

Is location capable defense and rebounding?

Emmanuel Ogbole gets nan first ace astatine halfway replacing 1 of nan nation’s champion changeable blockers, outgoing transportation Cliff Omoruyi. Freshman Lathan Sommerville is waiting successful nan wings. Martini is only 6-foot-8. “I don’t emotion sitting successful a room and trying to fig retired why we can’t score,” Pikiell said. “I emotion figuring retired we person to get amended connected nan protect extremity and rebounding.”

Can Rutgers unrecorded successful a food bowl?

Stars tie scrutiny. Already nan diversion section is moving distant from its apparel woody pinch Adidas — a move timed pinch nan presence of nan Nike-endorsed Harper and Bailey. Every crippled will beryllium overanalyzed. Every slump magnified. Only 1 of 12 rotation players has endured a afloat play astatine nan high-major level (Jamichael Davis) to cognize what’s successful store. “Our younker helps america successful that we person this contagious belief that our modular is thing we shouldn’t tally from but tally to,” Martini said.

What is Jeremiah Williams’ role?

Cast unrealistically arsenic nan savior for a bad boy 2023-24 play erstwhile he became eligible aft an NCAA suspension, Williams scored a team-high 12.2 points per game. He is simply a cocaptain this season. But is he going to willingly return an violative backmost seat? “The 3 guys that we brought backmost successful our programme were our 3 toughest players,” Pikiell said of Williams, Davis and Ogbole.

X Factor

PJ Hayes IV

The San Diego transportation was nan past subordinate added to nan roster. He knocked down 73 3-pointers astatine a 39.7 percent clip successful 32 starts past season. Coming disconnected Rutgers bench, he made each 7 of his shots against St. John’s successful a scrimmage (two 2s, 2 3s, 3 free throws). “He is simply a spacing feline and a feline that gives Dylan and Ace room to spell downhill,” Pikiell said.

Games to watch

No. 2 Alabama successful Las Vegas (Nov. 27)

Often criticized for soft nonconference scheduling, Pikiell raised nan barroom to meet expectations. The 2nd of 3 games astatine nan Players Era Festival is simply a national-statement opportunity against nan Crimson Tide, who went to nan 2024 Final Four and past poached Omoruyi successful nan portal. The tourney prize is simply a large NIL check.

Seton Hall (Dec. 14)

The Garden State Hardwood Classic is an yearly high-intensity rivalry. The defending NIT champions transportation humble expectations, but don’t underestimate Seton Hall’s desire to upstage each of Rutgers’ preseason publicity. The crippled will aerial connected Fox for nan first time. The past six meetings were a split, and spoilers often emerge.

No. 22 UCLA (Jan. 13)

In nan new-look Big Ten, this crippled comes 4 days aft facing preseason convention favourite Purdue and 2 weeks earlier facing Michigan State (possibly astatine Madison Square Garden). But these programs haven’t met since a Rutgers triumph successful 1981 — and astir notably met successful nan 1976 Final Four third-place game.

Prediction

22-9, 5th spot successful Big Ten, NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Advancing to Rutgers’ first Sweet 16 since 1979 is simply a bare minimum for this lottery summons to beryllium considered a success. There will beryllium bumps connected nan roller coaster ride, arsenic is to beryllium expected pinch immoderate freshmen-driven team, but 1 of nan champion home-court advantages successful nan Big Ten should dependable nan ship.