Kevin Boyle knows a thing or two about NBA Draft picks.
The Clark, N.J. native and head coach at Spire Academy (Ohio) has coached a slew of lottery picks, and Cooper Flagg will become Boyle’s fourth No. 1 overall pick during Wednesday’s NBA Draft
Four of Boyle’s former Montverde (FL) Academy players are projected to go in the first round, while a fifth, Ryan Nembhard, could go in the second round.
Boyle has kept an eye on New Jersey native and former Rutgers star Dylan Harper as well, and believes bright things are ahead for the projected No. 2 overall pick.
“I think Harper, to me, is no question [going to] end up being a really, really good pro,” Boyle told NJ Advance Media by phone on Monday. “You know, he’s going to be an NBA All-Star, and he’s going to be a really good pro.”
The 6-foot-5 Harper appeared on SportsCenter Tuesday and talked about what it would be like to join Victor Wembanyama, Steph Castle and the San Antonio Spurs.
“I mean, that would definitely be great and I would definitely be blessed to have that opportunity just because they’re two young players, young stars, and the rest of the team from top to bottom is really good so when you get to play with better players and the best of the best, it just brings out your best game,” Harper said.
Asked what advice his father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. had given him, Dylan said, “Just always stay grounded, and just always keep on working no matter what. He always tells me, as fast as you get all this now, it ends pretty quick. It’s like a dream enjoy the moment and stay where your feet are.”
As for what else he brings to San Antonio, Harper smiled and said, “They’re really young, you bring another young guy that is full of energy, just happy to be there and will do whatever he needs to do to help his team win and whatever his coach asks.”
As for Ace Bailey, Harper said he is “very excited” to play against his former Rutgers teammate in the NBA next season.
“I’m going to miss playing with my guy,” Harper said. “You go a whole year playing with someone, you want to play them again. Just seeing them in the league and both of us living out our dreams is going to be crazy so playing against him is definitely going to be fun.”
Boyle said he was not as familiar with Bailey but knows that he has a ton of upside with several “steps” remaining in his development.
“He still has a lot of steps to take to get to convince me 100%,” Boyle said.
“Bailey’s got all the all the things there...but there’s a lot of guys that have that. We’ll see how that transpires.”
Bailey has been labeled the most polarizing prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he is not helping his case with the latest decision of a perplexing pre-draft process.
The former Rutgers star on Wednesday cancelled a private workout and visit with the Philadelphia 76ers that was scheduled for last weekend, a league source confirmed to NJ Advance Media’s Adam Zagoria. He was scheduled to fly into Philadelphia on Thursday.
Bailey was “seeking a promise from the Sixers,” who have the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, before committing to a meeting, according to ABC6’s Jason Dumas.
He has declined invitations from multiple teams in his draft range, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who placed Bailey at No. 6 to the Washington Wizards in his latest mock draft.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.