Blake Harper’s basketball journey has taken him many places already in his young life, from unheralded recruit to HBCU Player of the Year, from the nation’s capital to the middle of the country, from low-major competition to one of the best conferences in Division-I basketball.
Four years ago, Harper made a promise, pinned to the top of his Twitter page, and he’s well on his way to making it come true.
ONE DAY BLAKE HARPER WILL BE SOMEBODY💙
— Blake Harper (@bharp__) May 1, 2021
The last few months have been all about adjusting for the Howard transfer heading into his first season with Creighton men’s basketball.
“It’s been exciting,” Harper told Hurrdat Sports. “It’s a new challenge, new opportunity for me. I love the city, it’s nice and peaceful, a lot of different things from back home. I’m already getting used to it, so that’s cool.”
As a zero-star recruit, Harper chose to stay home in Washington. D.C. and played for the Howard Bison, earning his way into the starting lineup from day one. He blossomed into one of the most productive players in the country, averaging 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists. His record-setting season turned him into a four-star recruit for 247Sports once he entered the transfer portal, opening plenty of doors.
Harper narrowed his options to Creighton, Ohio State, LSU and a return to Howard before committing to the Jays on April 27.
“I feel like throughout the recruiting process, one school stuck out, and it was here, for real,” Harper said. “The biggest thing that stuck out was Jeremy [Anderson] and his approach, and that was one of the biggest reasons why I decided to come to Creighton. I knew that I could take off and develop my body first, and then the game will come.”
While Harper prioritized strength and conditioning as he considered his next step, his body has played a big part in his path thus far. He was an admittedly chubby kid who didn’t hit a growth spurt until late in his high school career, and he continued to stretch out heading into college. He was listed at 6-foot-4 as a senior and was close to 230 pounds when he first set foot on campus at Howard. Creighton has him at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds heading into his sophomore season.
Harper’s body type growing up shaped his old-school game. That bully ball mentality he had to have stuck with him, and now as he’s grown taller, he does some of his best work inside of 10 feet. Harper excels at backing his man down in the post to get to his dominant left hand or using his body to put the defender in jail in the pick-and-roll. He’s a capable though not necessarily a high-volume 3-point shooter, and the Bison relied heavily on him to generate offense for his teammates as well as himself.
“When I was a kid, I was kind of like a bigger guy,” Harper said. “I kind of just recently dropped all my weight. So it’s kind of just keeping everything that I’ve learned in the past, and at the same time, I feel like my IQ’s developed just from being around the game, my dad being a coach, and kind of just growing up around the game. I feel like just keeping all that same stuff now that I’m here in my new frame.”
Harper was a role player in high school before choosing the Bison over Radford, Manhattan and Fordham in part because of a familial connection to the coaching staff. He earned a starting job as a freshman in the preseason and made his collegiate debut against one of the sport’s bluebloods in Kansas. After a scoreless first half, he dropped 16 points in the final 20 minutes to kickstart what became one of the best freshman seasons in the country.
Harper scored in single digits in two of his next four games — then didn’t fall short of 10 the rest of the season. He topped 20 points 12 times with five games over 30 (the most by any freshman in the past five years). He shot 44.7% from the field including 40.4% from 3 and attempted 8.4 free-throw attempts per game, connecting at an 82.5% clip. He was among the top 30 scorers in the country and was fourth in free throws made.
Harper was the first player in the 54-year history of the MEAC to earn Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. He earned MEAC Rookie of the Week in each of the 18 weeks of the 2024-25 season, shattering the previous record, and took home MEAC Player of the Week three times. Box to Row named him HBCU National Player of the Year and a First-Team HBCU All-American while also selecting him as the inaugural HBCU Impact Award winner.
Harper has far more talent around him in Omaha than he did at Howard, but that experience should serve him well as he takes on a new challenge.
Blake Harper (2) passes the ball during Creighton media day on Thursday, October 9, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“Last year was kind of an interesting time in my basketball career,” Harper said. “That’s kind of the first time I ever did something like that, being the main guy. So kind of keeping that confidence and knowing that my talents and my skill set are there, but also whatever it takes for the team to win, just put myself aside, whatever it takes for the team to win.”
The Big East is a significant step up from the MEAC, and competition has been fierce in the Creighton practice gym. Early on during summer workouts and fall practice, Harper wasn’t among the standouts as he battled a steep learning curve. However, something seemed to click over the last few weeks leading up to the team’s exhibition against No. 16 Iowa State.
With expected starters Owen Freeman and Jackson McAndrew in street clothes, Harper was among the first five for the Jays against the Cyclones and made the most of his 17 minutes in the 71-58 victory. Harper finished with 10 points (second on the team), six rebounds (tied for the team lead) and five free throw attempts (first), hitting three of the freebies while shooting 3-of-8 from the field (1-of-3 from deep).
“I’m just trying to find my way within the system and not forcing it,” Harper said after the game. “I feel like throughout the summer I was kind of trying to get my feet up under me, trying to figure out how I can implement winning. I feel like these last two weeks, last three weeks in practice, I kind of just put myself aside, and I would say, do what I feel like the team needs me to do. I feel like I’ve got me my feet up under me a little bit more, I have a little bit more confidence and my teammates have been helping me, talking to me a lot off the court and instilling confidence in me that they know I got it.”
Though Harper put up good numbers individually and evolved as a player, Howard went 12-20 last season. In Creighton, he’s found a program with which he thinks he can win — even if that comes with sacrifice. He’s battling for minutes with the likes of Jasen Green, Fedor Žugić and Hudson Greer, with preseason All-Big East picks in Freeman, Josh Dix and McAndrew expected to be the team’s leading scorers. Harper said he’s embracing the competition and the opportunity.
“I just want to show how I can impact winning,” Harper said. “Last year, the ball was in my hands a lot and I felt like my job was to score. And I feel like now I’m at a point in time where the roster is so deep and so talented, and I trust every one of my teammates for sure. I’m trying to show that I can fit right in. It’s not just scoring the ball, whether it’s forcing turnovers or helping on the defensive side and also taking the slack off my point guard different guys out there on the court.”
Harper has come a long way in the past two years, and he’s had an angel watching down on him the whole time. Harper lost his mother, Linda, to breast cancer in May of 2023, and he’s turned that tragedy into motivation.
“It’s crazy,” Harper said. “I feel like just imagining her and seeing me where I’m at now versus when I first lost her, it would be polar differences, but I feel like that’s kind of just been one of the main things that’s given me a lot of momentum. I feel like I’ve changed my ways, and I could have easily went negative, but I changed it to a positive, and just remembering her and her legacy, I feel like there’s nothing that’s going to bring her back, but I feel like I do everything to keep her name remembered.”
With his mom watching down, his dad in his ear, his coaches holding him accountable and his teammates driving him to give it his all, a big sophomore season is loading for Harper. He will get one more tune-up opportunity at CHI Health Center Omaha as No. 23 Creighton closes exhibition play against Colorado State Saturday night before opening the season against South Dakota on Nov. 5.
Whatever role he may settle into, Harper’s goals for the season are simple.
“I’m trying to go to the NCAA Tournament for sure, win some games, win the Big East,” Harper said. “I just want to have a great experience here. I feel like they’ve done a heck of a job; Coach Mac has done a heck of a job since he’s been here, so I’m just here and I’m ready to go.”
