Lathan Sommerville joins Dylan Harper with strong Rutgers debut: ‘He’s got that in him’
Ace Bailey’s first collegiate game had to wait, but Sommerville reminded Rutgers fans that this freshman class is more than two players deep.
PISCATAWAY – At some point between Rutgers’ exhibition game against St. John’s and Wednesday’s season opener vs. Wagner, Dylan Harper and Lathan Sommerville traded hairstyles.
In their official team portraits, Harper has an afro and Sommerville rocks the braids. On Wednesday, it was Harper whose hair was in twists and Sommerville who let his hair down.
“Guess I’m keeping it now,” Sommerville joked after the 75-52 win.
When you make plays like this, that’s probably the right call.
The debut of Rutgers’ No. 4-ranked freshman class was slightly lessened by the absence of Ace Bailey, with the news emerging that he is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury suffered at practice Monday. But while Harper had the stellar game expected of him, Sommerville reminded everyone of what he brings to the table – a blend of size and skill at the five that opponents will have to wrestle with all season.
Sommerville didn’t start at center but played starter’s minutes (26), finishing with 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, one block and one crazy assist linked above.
“I saw Jordan out the corner of my eye, decided to just put a little flair on it. Big guard, that’s what I call that,” Sommerville said, referring to the 6-foot-6 Jordan Derkack.
He tallied nine of the game’s first 16 points, scoring in about every way imaginable. Sommerville knocked down a midrange jumper, then was left open for a 3-pointer at the top of the key. His shot bounced around the rim before finally falling, pumping the first jolt of energy through the team and the student section since Harper scored his first points early on.
Sommerville drew a foul and made both shots – never take that for granted from a center – and when he drove the lane a minute later, he pulled off a spin move like he was playing with Quinshon Judkins in “College Football 25.”
“Just instinct. It’s a move I do a lot,” Sommerville said. “You just see how the player’s playing you, then you just adjust, make the adjustment and make the move.”
This outburst of offense prompted a standing ovation for Sommerville the first time he subbed out of the game.
“On every play, when the other team’s shooting free throws, when we make a big play, get a big rebound, it’s just alive in here,” Sommerville said of the Jersey Mike’s Arena crowd. “And I really can appreciate that.”
Harper was packing the highlight reel when Sommerville wasn’t, delivering crisp passes and multiple steal-and-scores on his way to 20 points (9-of-14 shooting) and four assists.
Bailey and Harper were ranked second and third nationally in the Class of 2024, but Sommerville was a respectable No. 116 overall, perhaps allowing him to fly under the radar in Rutgers’ class.
“Y’all were probably surprised. I wasn’t surprised at all,” Harper said postgame. “I’ve played against Lathan a thousand times. I know he’s got that in him. He came out here with his opportunity and he made the most of it. Y’all were all amazed, but that’s regular stuff on a regular basis for him.”
Later, I asked Harper about his brother tweeting that his jersey number 24, now worn by Sommerville, is “in good hands.” He was excited to hear that Ron Jr., currently on the roster of the Boston Celtics’ G League affiliate, was watching the game.
“It’s great he’s showing support not just to me but the rest of the group of guys,” Harper said. “Summertime, we’re all in the gym together and he comes back, tells us stuff like that, like what we’ve got to do to be great, and just for him to support us it’s honestly great.”
Harper’s senior season at Don Bosco Prep attracted plenty of hype locally and nationally ahead of his commitment to Rutgers, and Bailey’s Georgia high school (McEachern) was not the only special opponent on their schedule. Don Bosco also saw Richwoods, Sommerville’s high school in Illinois, during “The Battle in New Jersey” holiday tournament.
“Man, I’ve seen this game coming about a year ago when I committed,” Harper said. “I just know, me and Lathan played all the time. We played, what, three times last year? I just know his game and I know when he gets his opportunity, he’s gonna go. He’s not gonna hold back.”
Count Zach Martini among Sommerville’s believers, as well.
“He’s really worked on his body and lost a ton of weight, and that just shows you how much he cares about making an impact this year and helping this team out, because we need him,” Martini said. “… I’ll guard him in practice and he’ll hit a shimmy fadeaway too, and I’m like, ‘That’s him.’”
Not much needs to be picked apart from a game Rutgers was supposed to win in this manner. The Scarlet Knights went from plus-6 on the boards at halftime to minus-3 at game’s end, likely a combination of Rutgers easing up in the final 10 minutes and Wagner missing a bunch of shots and pursuing their rebounds. In reality, RU looked more committed on the boards than it ever was last season.
Six players scored at least eight points, and Jamichael Davis contributed five assists, three boards, two blocks and a steal on a night his shot wouldn’t fall. Steve Pikiell should be pleased with the depth Rutgers is displaying early on.
“It’s hard to experiment sometimes when you’re trying to win every game, but to have options, and I’m going to have to plug them in at the right places, but we can fight through injuries. We already proved that,” Pikiell said. “… It’s nice to look down the bench and have options. It’s nice to look down the bench and have size. It’s nice to look down the bench and have guys that can get a bucket, and drivers.”
Those options include a highly promising center with more offensive versatility than Rutgers has had at the position in years.
“Lathan was rock solid from the beginning,” Pikiell said. “He’s improving every day. College is not an easy adjustment. He’s lost weight, he’s got in better shape. He’s learning he can do a lot of things. He stepped out (for a) three, he can pass, he can rebound. His best days are ahead of him too.
“He’s got the new haircut, which he’s going to keep too.”
………
Good morning, and thanks for stopping by! It felt like the start of a new era in the RAC last night, as the crowd filled up the building really well for a weeknight game against a Northeast Conference opponent. We have some leftover notes and observations to get to, so let’s clean the glass:
By focusing on Sommerville in today’s story, I didn’t even mention Rutgers’ 20-0 run featuring 17 straight missed shots by the visiting Seahawks. It took a few minutes for Rutgers to settle in defensively, but not long at all. I covered more of the basics of the game in my game story for Field Level Media.
Harper said he had at least eight family members in the building for his Rutgers debut. Giving his family a chance to attend his games on the regular after all they’d done for him meant a lot in Harper’s college decision. “It was a dream come true to be honest,” he said Wednesday. “I remember coming here when I was little, watching my brother and all the other guys play. Now getting my chance to play in front of this crowd, in front of the Riot Squad, it is crazy and honestly a blessing.”
If you hear Pikiell call someone “Z-Bo” this season, he’s referring to Zach Martini. I’ve lived my life with a Z name, so I can dig it. But there’s an additional wrinkle. Z-Bo was also the nickname of longtime NBA power forward Zach Randolph. Martini said associate head coach Brandin Knight was the first to dub him that. “Zach Randolph was my favorite player growing up, but he had no idea, so coincidentally it worked out,” Z-Bo said. The Princeton transfer finished his Rutgers debut with eight points, two 3-pointers and five rebounds.
Elsewhere, Rider got on the board with its first win of the year, a 68-67 squeaker at San Diego two days after opening at No. 22 UCLA. T.J. Weeks Jr. supplied 19 points, five boards and a team-high four assists, while Jay Alvarez cooked from downtown on 3-of-6 shooting – his first official game making more than one 3-pointer, and a development in his game I alluded to last week. It was the less heralded Ruben Rodriguez who scored the go-ahead basket on this nifty floater, and the Broncs defended that narrow lead for the final 1:14.