Online rumors have been popping up this week that Blake Harper, a diamond-in-the-rough college basketball star from Howard University, is ready to join Maryland basketball.
But you can’t believe everything you hear — or see the internet.
The 6’7 wing who was basically being recruited (or tampered with, depending on how you view it) for half the season after breaking out on the scene at Howard University, recently responded to one such rumor. A Twitter account of Rob Reinhart tweeted that Blake Harper was going to commit to Maryland. The tweet quickly spread like wildfire, and has more than 325k views and sent HBCU basketball followers into a tizzy. And his wasn’t alone.
Harper, meanwhile, has yet to announce any type of commitment. He did respond to the Reinhart tweet with a meme that suggested that the information posted was not accurate.
The Washington, D.C. native was lightly recruited prior to coming to Howard, but quickly became as force for the Washington, DC – based HBCU.
Harper shot 44.7% from the field (182-for-407) and displayed a solid three-point stroke, connecting on 40 of his 99 attempts for a 40.4 percent success rate. He was also reliable at the free-throw line, making 221 of 268 attempts, an impressive 82.5%. Harper was active defensively, recording 31 steals and contributing on the boards with 197 total rebounds. His playmaking ability was evident with 110 assists, while maintaining strong defensive discipline with only five foul-outs.
Harper’s numbers weren’t only outstanding for HBCU basketball and the MEAC but across the NCAA as well. Harper was the 28th ranked scorer in all of Division I basketball, the only HBCU player ranked in the top 50.
While Maryland basketball may be on Blake Harper’s list, it doesn’t appear that he has made a commitment yet.