The 2024-25 freshman class is showing out across college basketball, from Duke’s Cooper Flagg to the duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey with Rutgers. But there’s one freshman who’s flying under the radar, if only because he competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Meet 6’6″ freshman guard Blake Harper, who’s had an extraordinary freshman season for the Howard Bison.
Howard’s Blake Harper Continues To Make History in Excellent Freshman Campaign
Howard freshman Harper has made college basketball history this season.
Unranked as a prospect out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C., Harper decided to stay close to home and attend Howard University. From the very first game of the season, it became apparent that Harper was different than ordinary unranked freshman.
Check that — he was different from any freshman.
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The Bison played the Kansas Jayhawks in their first game, losing by 30 points. Despite that, Harper scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, tying for the scoring lead in the contest.
He’s taken off ever since, averaging 19.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, and 3.6 apg on 46.1% shooting. Also a requisite threat from deep, he’s nailing 42.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Harper has simply been on a different level than his opponents.
In fact, Harper has notched a 30-point triple-double, a 30-point game on 80% shooting, a 30-point game with zero turnovers, and a 30-point game with 20+ free throws made.
According to OptaSTATS, all four of those feats have not been reached in the same season by any NBA, WNBA, men’s or women’s Division I player this century.
As a freshman, Blake Harper of @HUMensBB has had:
a 30-point triple-double
a 30-point game on 80% shooting
a 30-point game with 0 turnovers
a 30-point game with 20+ FT madeNo other NBA, WNBA or Division I men’s or women’s player this century has done all 4 in the same season. pic.twitter.com/nUmgyjwi9I
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 18, 2025
Despite being 11-15 overall, the Bison are currently tied for second place in the MEAC standings. With a Harper-led run through the conference tournament, we may see the first-year phenom on the biggest stage in March.
It’s hard to imagine the Bison freshman having a better season than the one he’s currently having, but an NCAA Tournament berth would be the cherry on top.
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