Draft Sicko Confidential: Blake Harper
Stephen sat down with Blake Harper to discuss his journey to Creighton! This INCLUDES insights from Harper on his game and life, film, and what to expect this coming season!
Before Howard: Growing into Himself
Blake Harper is a 6’8” forward who will be playing for the Creighton Bluejays next season. Readers may remember Blake last season as a standout freshman playing for the Howard Bisons. Harper stood out to many who evaluate talent due to the size and production he put up at such a young age. He averaged 19.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.4 APG—with 44.7/40.4/82.5 shooting splits. Advanced analytics were very kind to Blake in a number of areas, which is how many—myself included—were introduced to his game. A seemingly “out of nowhere” prospect, I was curious about how a player with his frame and game could wind up playing for a mid-major program instead of a blue blood powerhouse.
“Kind of a rough process for me—coming off of COVID. COVID happened during my eighth grade year, so that summer and a little bit into my freshman year. I feel like it’s always tough transitioning into a new level of basketball, let alone having a pandemic break out. I was a late bloomer, no doubt, coming into high school. I was 5’6” and like, really chunky.
I didn’t really play a lot of games [my freshman year], but I was on the B-team—what we could play. Going into my sophomore year I grew a little bit, but I still got cut from varsity. My dad was still the assistant coach of varsity, so that put a little bit of a target on my back but also lit a fire under me at the same time. And, also, I wasn’t given any handouts—getting cut when my dad’s the coach. So, I was on JV my sophomore year. And I grew a little bit. I would say I was about 5’8” or 5’9”. And playing the one, for real.
Going into my junior year, I finally made varsity, but we had got a transfer at that position, so I was like the seventh or eighth man. The way Gonzaga was, we just had so much fire power. Like, there was no time for me. And, shoot, if I was the coach, I would have played it the exact same way. That year, I just had to stay confident, because I easily could have let down.
Going into my senior year, it was rough. I lost my mom that June. Kind of going through that whole situation—that was my best friend. I have no mom, and my dad and I just have this relationship where, now, it’s just me and him; I’m an only child. That was tough on me, but I had to make it work. I really had no out; there couldn’t be any excuses. So I got my body into ‘somewhat’ shape. Not top shape, but I could play a game.
At this point, I’m about 6’4”-ish, my senior year. One of our three-stars [players] had gone down with an injury, I would say a couple of games into the season—and he was playing the four. Our coach is trying things out [after the injury], and I’m thinking everyday coming home from practice ‘I got to find out a way to play. So I can play small-ball four. I got to’.
Our team was loaded. We had two five-star guards in the backcourt, a three-star small forward, and a four-star center, and then me coming into summer with no offers. So my job just had to be getting them the ball; I can’t be selfish here. So I just took my opportunity that summer and developed my post up game—focusing on rebounding and things like that.
Surprisingly, that’s where I started getting [scholarship] offers. They’re seeing me expand my game. I’m in some shape. I’ve grown a little bit. I ended up having four offers coming out of high school. Then, I picked Howard as my decision."
The other schools that ultimately offered Blake a scholarship were Fordham, Manhattan, and Radford. The only schools he would visit were Howard, of course, and Radford. While he looked into each of these universities, Howard was the place that felt like home. And, simply, Howard was home for Blake.
“Being at home, the coaching staff really believed in me. They didn’t promise me anything from the jump, but they promised me opportunity. One thing that the head coach said to me during our recruiting process was ‘Blake, you’re talented, and the thing about me is I will not let your talent go to waste’. And that was a quote that I still remember since hearing that. Also, the academics [were important].
Staying close to home, my Grandma could come and see me play. Without my mom being there, she could come to every game. I was still getting over that closure a little bit. I was still 17 at the time, so I was trying to figure all of that out.
It came down to Howard and Radford. I went to Howard on my visit, and the team and its construction just made it easier for me to got to Howard.”
From Growing into Himself to Higher Learning
The thing that makes Harper’s ascension into being a Division-I athlete incredible is how much growth it took for him to get there. Growing a foot over the course of his high school career certainly helped, but he also dealt with the mental and emotional anguish that came from losing his mother. By leaning on his dad, who Blake calls his “first fan,” Blake became dedicated to becoming better on and off the court. Taking the time to learn from his coaches and teammates, he grew in his understanding of the game. Without receiving any college offers coming into his senior season, Blake put the work into his body, carved out a role on a loaded team, and found himself now ready for his next big step: college basketball.
There was a lot of work Blake poured into himself, but he was just getting started. After climbing the ladder to become a good high school basketball player, he found himself back at the bottom in Washington, D.C.
“When my season had ended with high school…our head coach, Coach [Kenny] Blakeney—we were playing pickup—and he told me to take smarter shots. I shot a bad shot—a bad floater—and he said ‘Alright. Everybody on the line’. It wasn’t a shot at me. At the time, I didn’t see this, but looking back at the process, he did that for me. Mind you, at this time, I’m 232 [pounds] and about 6’4”.
So, we’re on the line, and we’re doing this thing they call ‘Talladega’s—which is a conditioning test. The way our gym [at Howard] was, is there is a practice court and a volleyball court. Connected. And we ran those up and down. You had to make ten of them in two minutes. For six sets of them, in order to get out of them. I ended up being the second-to-last one to complete it—it was August when I completed it.
Mind you, at this time, that’s all that we’re doing. We’re not even touching a basketball; we come in there knowing we’re running. If you didn’t meet the running test [results], you were on the side doing a run. If you didn’t make it that day, you’re a towel boy for practice. I’m a towel boy for about a month.
I ended up making it [completing the conditioning test] because we were going on a foreign trip to Brazil in August. One of my coaches on the staff pulled me aside and told me ‘There’s really no point in bringing you if you can’t play for us’.
So, basically, I had to pass the test in order to get my ticket to Brazil. I had never been out of the country, so that was a big thing for me, so I ended up passing. I ended up passing the test in August—early August. I ended up going to Brazil, and at the time I passed the test, I was 198 [pounds]. I had lost around 34 pounds.
Playing in Brazil, it was kind of an adjustment. We were playing against pros, so it was an adjustment. I hadn’t really been working on my game because I haven’t been toughing a ball in practice. I got back in the gym when nobody saw me—literally trying to sneak into the gym to keep my skill, because I knew my time was coming.
The second game [in Brazil] was a little bit better, finding my role and stuff. But, in my third game, I had 22 [points], nine [rebounds], and five [assists]. That was kind of my eye-opening moment—like, I’m here to play. I’ve taken that same mentality and applied it to my game and myself—my new frame. My new body. It was really me understanding that nobody is stopping me but myself.”
The Art of Initiating Contact
One of the things that stands out when you observe Harper’s analytical profile is the fact that he does a lot of everything. Despite being a freshman, there is a blend of poise and strength to his game. This is one of the first things about his game that really stood out to me. Blake led his Howard Bison team in free throws attempted by almost 200 free throws! He also led the team And-1s with 26 total, as well as fouls drawn with 204. Something like that doesn’t happen by accident. So: How does Blake utilize this skill of his?
“A lot of people hate Shai '[Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder] for…they call it foul baiting. But, I see it as a skill, for real, and kind of using that to your advantage.
[Having] different hand placement and having an IQ of the game to get that far.
I probably just credit that to watching a lot of film and using my body. I used to have a heavier-set body, so I used to use that and I’m used to that kind of contact. Playing in the post a little bit coming out of high school. Getting to the line, it’s the easiest points in basketball. And they’re free. Unguarded. It’s a real momentum-changer and it hurts the other team in fouls. I’m just using that to my advantage. Any way I can make a play to win.”
The insight from such a young player on how to leverage their intelligence, on top of how to use their body, to generate free points while putting their opponent at a disadvantage…you just don’t get that from many younger players. Harper shot nearly 83% from the free-throw line at Howard, showing that he could truly make defenses pay for their mistakes.
Not Afraid of Getting Physical
Playing intelligently can often lead people to think that a player might be more finesse-based, or less likely to get physical. That couldn’t be further from the truth for Blake Harper. When he has the ball in his hands, Harper can be a 20 PPG scorer. When he doesn’t have the ball, Blake still finds a way to impact the game.
“My assistant coach, Tyler Thornton—he just got the Duke [assistant coach] job. He was at Howard [with me] last year. He went to Duke, he was on Kyrie’s [Irving] team, but before that he went to Gonzaga [high school]. He’s from DC. My dad was coaching Gonzaga. He and I developed this big brother connection—it kind of got farther than just coach and player, just because of how much I would leech on to him for information. He’s a student of the game and he played with Kyrie—that’s the level that I’m trying to get to.
Going into Brazil—this was really my first game. My teammates and coaches not really knowing how I could play, because I wasn’t practicing on my game or fitting into the team—Coach Ty, he told me because I wasn’t really getting the ball, he told me ‘You got to impact the game some other way’.
I really studied, and started learning angles of different rebounds. Also, not being afraid of getting physical and get a little boxout. Or open up rebounds for my other teammates. For me, it’s about finding a way to impact the game any way that I can.”
Blake averaged over six RPG, snatching boards on both the offensive and defensive glass. His offensive rebounding percentage last season was 3.3—while posting a defensive rebounding percentage of 16.7. If there is anything we’ve learned over the years, it’s that rebounding typically translates while moving up a level of competition. This bodes well for Blake and his new team.
Reading the Floor
He can score and he can rebound, but Blake also showed some savvy decision-making in his first year of college ball. This makes sense considering that he saw time as a point guard in high school, due to his size. As his body has grown and developed, Blake has maintained the ability to make the right play more times than not. Blake recorded 108 assists at Howard, which was second on the team by just one assist. While he posted a usage rate of 27.6 (pretty high), Blake also had a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“Just watching and being around basketball, you learn a lot before you start playing. And you learn a lot before you really start implementing it into your game. Just seeing things that players in the NBA look at.
“This summer, I was in L.A. with Klutch [Sports Group], and we went to a Lakers game. Just seeing Luka in person dissect the ball screen is crazy. If the low-man tags him, he’s hitting the right corner every time. Every time—it’s, like, automatic. Just learning little ‘cheat codes,’ I would say, just learning little things to use to my advantage—and putting my teammates in position to score as well.”
Getting Defensive (In the Best Way)
One of the things that the best players do is understand where their shortcomings are—in other words, being real with themselves. As an undersized-but-overweight young high schooler, this has not been an unfamiliar concept to Blake and his development. As soon as he reached the point of figuring out his body and dominating in high school, Blake had to learn how to be impactful at a whole different level of basketball.
Leveling up is hard, particularly on the defensive end. He wasn’t a traffic cone on that end, as he found a way to be quite useful on defense, but Blake recognizes that the next step in his basketball development has to come on defense.
“My role [at Howard] was to rebound and contain the guy in front of me. It was to dominate my matchup and contain the man in front of me. Finish the possession. This summer, I’ve really just been working on guarding my man one-one-one, and not expect the help. I feel like, sometimes, I got a little complacent last year, but I’m ready for the challenge this year—especially in the Big East. I’ve worked on my body and my footwork.
People haven’t seen me since last year, but I’m ready to see how they react. I’m new and improved on that end. And I’m ready.”
You’ll be hard pressed to find many other players that will put in the sort of work that they say they’ll put in to improve. With his weight loss journey, and by finding ways to make an imprint on the game, Blake has continually shown that he will evolve his game.
Spreading His Wings
After one year with the Howard Bison and spending his entire life in the D.C. area, Harper made the decision to enter the transfer portal. “Portaling” is not brand new in the world of college basketball, but it is still a somewhat polarizing part of collegiate athletics. Many players—even now in the NBA—have benefited from using the transfer portal to level up in role, competition, and exposure.
“After my Conference Tournament game that we had lost, I went home and had multiple conversations with people in my life: my agent, my dad—just people that are in my circle. We found it was the best option in my unique situation to test the portal. I felt it was an opportunity to see what was out there.
You can’t really open that door if you don’t step two feet into it…it was hectic. But, it was nice. The recruitment process—I heard a lot of my friends say they were glad to get it over with, but I kind of enjoyed it. It made me feel grateful for who I am and the abilities that I have. A lot of people trust me, and a lot of people liked the abilities that I have. That whole recruitment process was good.
I never was really recruited [in terms of the number of teams recruiting me in high school]. It was kind of funny just seeing all of the options and seeing all of the different states…just seeing how it is to be recruited and feel wanted. It’s a good thing.
I heard from a lot of schools, but it came down to four: LSU, going back to Howard, Ohio State, and Creighton. And Creighton ended up being the best fit for me, structurally, and it was another step to help me make my dreams come true—with the NBA being the end goal. Just being on a team like that, where we all have the same goal.
Howard—they were supporting me tremendously throughout the process, and they handled it very professionally. I appreciate them for that, for sure. I appreciate everything that I’ve learned since I arrived at Howard. I’ll always remember that as I move forward with the next chapter in my journey.”
The Next Chapter
For Blake Harper, there was more than just a basketball aspect he had to consider when deciding where he would play next. Sure, finding the right structure, culture, and collection of like-minded individuals may have played a part in his decision, but Blake was also leaving his home.
“I’m an only child, so I cope with myself and my dad, really. My dad told me to make the decision for myself and see where my heart is—see where I could see myself at. He told me to make sure that the main thing stays the main thing. Out here in Omaha, it was the best environment where I could be a better version of myself. It feels like family out here. Locals support Creighton basketball to the max; it’s a very strong fan base. 18,000 a game! I’m like ‘I can’t complain at all’.
Everything really attracted me. Coach Mac’s [Greg McDermott] style of play, the staff, the roster construction, just everything about Creighton—Omaha and the surrounding area. It’s just amazing. Also, the school itself. It brought me a sense of closure and felt like I could call it home.”
Not only is this a new phase for Blake, but the Creighton men’s basketball team in general is taking on a new identity. Ryan Kalkbrenner left for the NBA after spending half of a decade with the program—not to mention other players who have contributed to the success of the Bluejays who have now moved on. Blake is just one of a number of new faces that will introduce the next chapter in Creighton history.
“It’s definitely an exciting feeling, getting to know my new teammates and new coaches. I’m connecting with them as much as I can, because I know throughout this whole season that I’m going to need them. And they’re going to need me as well. [We’re] developing that trust in our relationship to where we can have that to fall back on.
I feel like at this point within college basketball, everyone is going through a transition stage every season. A quote that we’re using out here is ‘Who’s going to win the summer?’. We’re trying to make that be us. We’re coming in every single day with a locked-in mindset and knowing what our end goal is.”
When it comes to predicting what Blake’s role on this team is going to be, you know that he is going to come in and make an impact wherever he is needed. This team is loaded with talent. Josh Dix is a name many are excited to see. Fedor Zugic comes back to build on top of his international resume. Jackson McAndrew had a very solid freshman campaign. Owen Freeman showed a lot of promise at Iowa. Hudson Greer is a very intriguing freshman. The list goes on and on.
Blake understands leveling up as much as anyone, and he knows that he can contribute in a variety of ways.
“I’m really just coming in to do whatever it takes to win. Whether that role may be to defend. Rebound. Score the rock. Facilitate—whatever it takes. I’m willing to win. They’ve been to the tournament the past five years—so just making sure I step into the culture of what they’ve developed over time. Stepping into that role, and understand that they [the coaching staff] know what they’re doing and trusting them.
When it comes to playing with other guys like that [guys that are very talented], it’s kind of scary. Just in practice, you never know who is going to go off. Just seeing and watching it with my own eyes. I’m gonna give my boy a shoutout: Josh Dix—came from Iowa—he’s a problem. I love watching his game—it’s great game.
Just seeing little things like that gets me excited for the season and excited for the things that are to come.”
Shoutout to the Dads
When speaking to Blake, and learning about his background before talking about “just basketball,” his relationship with his dad really spoke to my heart. This may have to do with the fact that I have four kids of my own, but I wanted to circle back to ask how Blake’s father (and his high school coach) is handling things with Blake being further away from home.
“He loves it, actually. He knows I’m doing what is best for me. I want to take care of him with the game that he taught me. Doing whatever it takes to take care of my dad—that’s all I got. That’s the best relationship I’ve got; that’s the only parent that I have. And that’s who I’m doing it for. I kind of have a chip on my shoulder and he knows that. He’s my number one supporter—my believer back in D.C. And one thing I know about him is that he’s going to try to be at all of the games.”
Curtains
When watching Blake play basketball, it’s hard not to be intrigued by his game. He has such maturity and fluidity to his game, and his 6’8” frame helps him out across the board. He shoots the ball very well, he rebounds well, he makes good decisions, and he thinks the game. Harper has the right sort of mentality that it takes to succeed, and he has a proven track record of continuous improvement. Now that he has the ability to sharpen his iron with a talented Creighton team, the best is surely to come for Harper.
“I’m excited for the season to come, and for this new environment—this new time with my teammates. I’ve been working on my footwork—my body. If you look at that Kansas game—my first game at Howard—versus my first game here, my body is going to be completely different. I’m going to be more built, filling out my frame a little bit more.
I’ve just been in the gym working on my footwork and—what I’ve said about my defense: I’ll be ready. I’ll be ready by the time the season starts. I’m staying true to my craft—making sure I’m still rebounding and talking.”
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