He's got Jared: Auburn's Jalen Harper follows brother's path to the Plains

AUBURN, Ala. – As a high school senior in 2019, Jalen Harper often drove to Auburn from his home in Atlanta to watch his favorite team play basketball.

While Auburn fans sang “We’ve Got Jared” during the Tigers’ magical run to the Final Four, Jalen hummed a different tune.

“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”

“That was amazing, seeing how big Auburn could be,” said Jalen Harper, Jared’s younger brother. “Seeing my brother’s college on the large scale in that sold-out arena in Minneapolis, it was crazy.”

Fast forward three years. Jalen Harper looked for a new college basketball program to join after beginning his career at Florida Gulf Coast then transferring to junior colleges in Indiana and Tuscaloosa.

Harper had another D-I scholarship opportunity but thought his playing time would be limited because of the team’s backcourt depth.

Then, it hit him.

“If I’m going to sit the bench, I might as well go home and go to my family,” Harper said.

That’s how four years after Jared Harper helped make history at Auburn, there’s another J. Harper on the Plains. No. 55, a 6-1 scout team point guard.

“For the first couple months I was in shock,” Harper said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m in practice with Coach Bruce Pearl.’ My brother was here, it was all crazy.”

On the scout team, it’s Harper’s job to quickly learn and simulate the plays each Auburn opponent utilizes, a new role for Jalen but one that he’s embracing.

“I remember seeing Pat Keim around all the time but I never knew how big of a role his scout team played in getting them prepared,” Harrper said. “It was a different look for me.

“It can be the difference between winning and losing. It really gives the team a look and what they’ll see. It’s how we get so many turnovers on out of bounds. We scout that and we have to do that perfectly in order for them to get the steals in a game.

“Some people may look at scout team like, ‘It’s not that important, I’ll never do that.’ Now I’m doing it and it’s actually very important. You definitely have to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the team.”

When he played at Shelton State Community College, fewer than 10 miles from the home venue of Auburn’s in-state rival, Harper represented the Tigers at every opportunity.

“I still wore my orange there, loud and proud,” he said.

Now that he’s part of Auburn’s basketball program, Jalen carries on a family tradition.

“Feeling like family, people knowing my name and knowing my family, I love that,” he said. 

Scheduled to graduate from Auburn University in December in sociology, Jalen hopes to make it to the NBA in a different way.

“Personnel and scouting, the inside of the game rather than playing,” he said. “I definitely want to be around the game.”

While Jared now plays professionally in Valencia, Spain, Jalen still communicates with his big brother multiple times each day.

“By the time I get out of practice, he’s in bed, about to shut it down,” Jalen said. “He’s enjoying it, definitely a new experience. He’s getting better. They’re teaching him another way of playing the game. They call fewer fouls so he’s becoming a better finisher, getting crafter.”

Wendell Green Jr. has assumed Jared’s PG1 role at Auburn, running the offense, making deep 3-pointers, finding teammates in transition, and earning a nickname from Jalen.

“I call him my nephew because I tell him that’s my brother’s son,” Jalen said, noting that Green puts a twist on the compliment.

“He tries to call me his nephew,” Jalen said.

His role differs from that of his legendary brother, but Jalen Harper, in his own way, contributes to Auburn’s basketball program, helping the Tigers continue their quest to make history.

“This is big-time, getting this coaching and seeing how a top 25 team operates, how we practice,” he said. “I wake up some mornings and say, ‘Wow, I’m on a top 25 basketball team, helping them in practice every day. I have to be locked in.’

“I’m very hard-working and humble. Very grateful for this opportunity.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer