Long before he committed to Rutgers, Ace Bailey was already drawing comparisons to NBA stars. Kevin Durant and Paul George were the most common, and it’s easy to see why.
Bailey’s scoring prowess is notorious. He’s the kind of natural scorer who doesn’t need a lot of help to get to his spots. And given his big frame, he can shoot over almost everybody.
That’s why his coach, Steve Pikiell, wanted him to develop a different part of his game and be more aggressive on the glass. That showed in the win over Penn State, in which he scored “just” 15 points, but also grabbed 15 rebounds.
Rutgers coach wants Ace Bailey to crash the glass
“Coach preaches that not just this game but every game,” Bailey said. “The main focus is the rebound so I just took that into account. I wasn’t even worried about scoring so much.”
ce Bailey #4 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights celebrates his slam dunk on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half of their game during the Players Era Festival basketball tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada
“I know I’m 6-10, I know I’m athletic, I know I can jump out of the gym,” Bailey said. “I’m using that as my advantage and it’s been helping so I’m going to keep using it. You just got to know situations and what to do and what your team needs in that moment.”
Rutgers has two potential top-three picks
Besides Bailey, the Scarlet Knights also have another potential top-three pick in the upcoming edition of the NBA Draft. Freshman guard Dylan Harper — Ron Harper’s son — also looks like a star in the making.
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Needless to say, that puts plenty of pressure on this program come tournament time. But even if they don’t get to have confetti on their heads at the end of the season, they will be must-watch TV all the way.
