What NBA great Steph Curry thinks about ‘super talented’ future Rutgers stars

PORTLAND — Dylan Harper made an impression on Steph Curry.

The star Rutgers signee was one of the standouts among the dozen elite recruits that partook in the NBA great’s eighth annual camp last summer, earning Camp-All Star honors alongside future college teammate Ace Bailey. But it was not how Harper played that stuck out most in Curry’s mind, but the confidence he exuded throughout.

Mic’d up by multiple publications across the two-day camp, Harper first spelled out his game plan when guarding Curry — “slide my feet, pressure up on him … none of that step-back” — and then, after holding him scoreless, he let the audience know about it.

“My only job today was to make sure Steph did not score on me and I did that … Steph ain’t score on me one time. Where’s he at? I should be in the league!”

Seven months later, after leading the Golden State Warriors to a win over the Portland Trail Blazers with a big fourth-quarter performance, Curry smiles as he retells the story.

“Dylan especially was funny, because he guarded me on a couple of the pickup runs we had and I might not have scored on him,” he said Thursday in response to a question from NJ Advance Media. “He was counting my stats, but you love that competitiveness because they’re there to get better.”

Both Harper and Bailey felt they made progress after the four practice sessions throughout the Bay Area camp last August. The duo partook in multiple similar events throughout the summer, but this outing let them share the court with an NBA legend in the midst of his Hall of Fame career.

In watching Curry up close, they were blown away by:

– His work ethic: “I watched him work out for 45 minutes and it was the hardest 45 minute work out I’ve ever seen,” Harper said.

– The consistency on his iconic shot: “He’s like a robot. He doesn’t change. It’s the same shot every time,” Bailey said.

– His off-ball movement: “His conditioning is through the roof. He could move around and shoot every shot on the court,” Harper said.

– His message: “Always be consistent with everything you do. Workouts, keep everything sharp and just keep working. Not everybody has a chance to make it, so make sure you understand that and keep going and keep working,” Bailey said.

“One of the greatest shooter of all time, him giving back, giving tips and showing us the game, how stuff works, it was just a blessing,” Bailey added. “That’s the goal, to get in the position where he is at, so playing against him puts me one step closer to my dream.”

Curry has seen multiple alums of his camp turn into teammates (James Wiseman and Nico Mannion) or opposing players in the NBA in the near-decade since he started the camp. Dennis Smith Jr., a five-star guard who went to NC State before being drafted ninth overall by the Dallas…