Harper Inks 1st Professional Deal With Heroes Den Bosch
8/10/2026 3:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Former Liberty Flame JJ Harper has inked his first professional contract with Heroes Den Bosch in the Netherlands.
"I'm super excited to get my pro career going. I'm super thankful to have had a successful college career and to have met everyone at Liberty," Harper said. "I'm looking forward to getting to the Netherlands and getting things rolling."
Heroes Den Bosch is based in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The team competes in the BNXT League in the Netherlands and Belgium, the first tier league in both the Dutch and Belgian system.
Harper, a 6-5 guard from Orlando, Fla., played his final season of college basketball for the Flames during the 2025-26 season, helping Liberty (26-8) win the CUSA outright regular season title for a second straight year.
Harper spent this summer with the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2026 NBA Summer League. He also had pre-NBA Draft workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Harper enjoyed a strong 2025-26 campaign for the Liberty Flames. The guard became the second CUSA All-Defensive team member in program history. Additionally, he was named a finalist for the 2025-26 Lefty Driesell Award. The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I college basketball, and Harper was one of only 25 finalists.
Harper averaged 10.8 points (No. 5 on team), 2.7 rebounds (No. 5 on team), 1.5 assists (No. 4 on team), 1.4 steals (No. 2 on team) and 1.0 blocks (No. 2 on team) per game while appearing in and starting all 34 games. He shot 59.2 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.
Harper tied for the team lead with 46 steals and finished eighth in Conference USA in steals per game (1.4). His 35 blocks were second most on the squad, with his 1.0 blocks per contest ranking 12th best in the league.
Harper and the Flames won a new program-record 17 straight games during the regular season before receiving their second berth into the NIT and advancing to the second round for a second time in program history.
"I'm super excited to get my pro career going. I'm super thankful to have had a successful college career and to have met everyone at Liberty," Harper said. "I'm looking forward to getting to the Netherlands and getting things rolling."
Heroes Den Bosch is based in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The team competes in the BNXT League in the Netherlands and Belgium, the first tier league in both the Dutch and Belgian system.
Harper, a 6-5 guard from Orlando, Fla., played his final season of college basketball for the Flames during the 2025-26 season, helping Liberty (26-8) win the CUSA outright regular season title for a second straight year.
Harper spent this summer with the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2026 NBA Summer League. He also had pre-NBA Draft workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Harper enjoyed a strong 2025-26 campaign for the Liberty Flames. The guard became the second CUSA All-Defensive team member in program history. Additionally, he was named a finalist for the 2025-26 Lefty Driesell Award. The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I college basketball, and Harper was one of only 25 finalists.
Harper averaged 10.8 points (No. 5 on team), 2.7 rebounds (No. 5 on team), 1.5 assists (No. 4 on team), 1.4 steals (No. 2 on team) and 1.0 blocks (No. 2 on team) per game while appearing in and starting all 34 games. He shot 59.2 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line.
Harper tied for the team lead with 46 steals and finished eighth in Conference USA in steals per game (1.4). His 35 blocks were second most on the squad, with his 1.0 blocks per contest ranking 12th best in the league.
Harper and the Flames won a new program-record 17 straight games during the regular season before receiving their second berth into the NIT and advancing to the second round for a second time in program history.
Players Mentioned
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