Jan. 19, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Listed at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Auburn point guard Jared Harper is used to people counting him out. Whether it's coaches, college coaches, fellow players or writers, he's always been told he's too small to play at the next level. He's too small to play Power Five basketball at the college level. He's too small to ever play in the NBA.
That was until Bruce Pearl saw him. When the Auburn coach offered Harper a scholarship, he told the Georgia product that he didn't just like him. He loved him and loved the way he played.
"I saw unique," Pearl said. "I saw special. I saw rare. I saw a guy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" there aren't many little guys that can play in the NBA. But the little guys that do are fast, quick and can shoot the three-ball and have a level of toughness, and he has all those qualities."
"He just always believed in me," Harper said. "That was a big thing just knowing that even though with my size, he actually believed in my basketball skill set."
There was a time when even Harper might have doubted if he'd ever play college basketball at the Division I level. As a freshman in high school, he was still just 5-foot-2. But he hit a growth spurt after that season, and by the time he was a sophomore, he was dunking for the first time. As a senior, he was averaging 27 points, 10.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game.
"I told the coaching staff that a lot of people are going to look at Jared and obviously say he's too small and don't want to deal with matchups and defense and whatever it is," Pearl said. "And I said if we don't get this kid to commit to us now, he will never be here at the end of the summer. Others will figure it out. I'm not the only guy who knows."
Pearl and his staff ultimately landed Harper, a consensus top-100 recruit coming out, but the questions only intensified when he got to Auburn. How could a 5-foot-10, 160-pound freshman compete in the SEC against players much taller and much stronger?
Harper answered those questions last season and silenced the critics by playing in all 32 games, starting 30, and averaging 11.4 points, 3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.
"I honestly can't remember a time where I wasn't counted out," Harper said. "There's always been a comment of doubt for me, 'Can you do this?' I've always felt like I've been counted out, but it's just been a constant chip on my shoulder that I carry through everything in life. I know what I can do, and I'm just going to continue to do it."
This season, the whole Auburn team has carried that chip on its shoulder, but Harper, in particular, has taken his game to another level.
After gaining valuable experience as a freshman, Harper has come back more aggressive, more efficient, and he's morphed into one of the league's top passers. The sophomore point guard leads the Tigers with 93 assists through 18 games, and he's produced eight games of at least seven assists this season ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" tied for the most in the SEC. He had 95 assists all of last year.
Harper has also increased his points per game (12.4) and has scored in double figures in 10 straight games ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" the longest active streak on the team ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" but if it were to him, he'd prefer setting up a teammate with a sweet alley-oop pass like he threw to Mustapha Heron in the Alabama game Wednesday to knocking down a three-point shot or throwing down a dunk of his own.
"I'd probably say the alley-oop or getting another teammate open," Harper said. "That makes me real excited just to see other people make plays. With an assist, it's a two-way street. I can make the pass, but I wouldn't be getting the assist if we weren't making shots.
"I've always played unselfishly, trying to get my teammates involved. I just think it makes it easier for everybody on the court, including myself."
Regardless of whether he's passing or scoring, Harper has become an integral part of this Auburn team. It doesn't matter that he's almost always the smallest guy in the gym. What matters is that he continues to use his size to prove the doubters wrong.
"People might underestimate me because of my size," Harper said. "I think I'm pretty strong, and I'm just able to lead my team and continue to play every day."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf