PISCATAWAY, N.J. — On Wednesday, two Rutgers freshmen received high recognition in the All-Metropolitan Writers' Awards.
 
Dylan Harper was named the All-Metropolitan Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Rutgers player to win the award since Geo Baker won it in 2018. Harper becomes the sixth ever Scarlet Knight to be named the best freshman in the Metropolitan region joining Baker, Mike Rosario (2009), J.R. Inman (2006), Quincy Douby (2004), and Geoff Billet (1996).
 
Fellow freshman guard Ace Bailey joins Harper on the All-Metropolitan First Team.
 
The All-Met First Team is listed below:
 
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Rutgers; Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth; Isaiah Coleman, Seton Hall; Zuby Ejiofor, R.J. Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond, St. John's; Xaivian Lee, Princeton.

The 2024-25 All-Met teams will be honored at the 92nd MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday, April 24, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner, which also will be Livestreamed, is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
 
A 6-6 freshman guard from Franklin Lakes, NJ, Harper was one of two dynamic freshmen who set the pace for Rutgers (15-17, 8-12), along with Ace Bailey. Harper --- who started 28 games --- led the Scarlet Knights with 19.2 points per game (fourth in the nation among freshmen, No. 31 in Division I overall) and 117 assists (4.0 apg) while averaging 4.6 rebounds and shooting 48.4% from the field.
 
He had three contests with 30+ points: 37 vs. Alabama, 36 vs. Notre Dame, 34 at Washington. He produced a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Columbia. Harper was the first Rutgers player to score 30+ points back-to-back since 2006 and his 15 free throws made were the most in a single game for RU since 1999.
 
With 564 points scored this past season, Harper and Bailey were named to the All-Big Ten freshman team and received All-Conference Honorable Mention.
 
Hailing from a basketball family, Dylan Harper is the son of former NBA player and coach Ron Harper, and his older brother, Ron Jr. was a recent standout at Rutgers, having been named All-Met three times, including 2022 when he won the Haggerty Player of the Year Award.

Bailey finished regular season play with 510 points. He moved past Rutgers legend Phil Sellers and stands third behind Harper and Rosario on the single-season freshmen scoring list. Bailey averaged 17.6 points (seventh in the conference), 7.2 rebounds, and shot 45.8 percent from the field.