Darren Harris, a 6-foot-5 guard, has committed to IU basketball. He played the last two seasons at Duke.
Harris has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He also considered Virginia.
Harris’s Time with the Blue Devils
Over two seasons with the Blue Devils, Harris averaged 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.3 minutes per game.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds from Herndon, Virginia, Harris attended Paul VI High School and played for Team Takeover on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. IU assistant coach Kenny Johnson has strong ties to Paul VI and Team Takeover.
IU is buying a potential breakout rather than proven production with Harris. He was buried on a talented Duke depth chart for the past two seasons.
Harris was a member of Duke’s 2024 recruiting class that included three lottery picks in Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. He struggled to find consistent minutes in Durham under Jon Scheyer. He hit the transfer portal after two seasons.
High School Prospect
As a high school prospect, Harris was the No. 39 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In his freshman season, Harris played sparingly and averaged two points and 1.1 rebounds in six minutes per game on a Duke team that lost to Houston in the Final Four. They finished 35-4. He scored a season-high seven points in a 93-49 win against Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
As a sophomore, Harris played more but was still on the fringe of the rotation. The Blue Devils were again one of the nation’s premier teams, finishing 35-3 before falling in a stunning collapse against UConn in the Elite Eight.
- Over 36 games, he averaged 3.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 9.7 minutes per game.
- He reached double figures in scoring three times, including 15 points against Army, 11 against Lipscomb and 16 against Notre Dame.
Opportunity at IU
Harris struggled from the perimeter over 57 career games at Duke. He is 28-for-91 on 3s for his career, which is 30.8 percent and 38-for-55 from the free-throw line, a 69.1 percent mark.
The IU coaching staff is taking a buy-low approach with Harris. He will get a chance for more consistent minutes and a more defined role in a revamped rotation in Bloomington, where 3-point shooting is a major part of the offensive game plan under Darian DeVries.
Harris played up in age on the Nike EYBL 17u Circuit, where he started for the Peach Jam runner-up and averaged 1.8 made threes per game.
His athleticism will be a question as he lacks top-end bounce or pop, but his IQ has him in the play. He has developed his handle, getting to the rim off sloppy closeouts in straight lines.
At 6-5, he has great positional size.
Harris hit the transfer portal after two seasons.