ARLINGTON, VA - JANUARY 26: Darren Harris #24 of the Paul VI Panthers shoots a free throw against the Bishop O’Connell Knights during the second half of the boys basketball game at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia on January 26, 2024. | Photo by Scott Taetsch for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A dead-eye shooter, Harris may need to develop other aspects of his game to earn time as a freshman
The latest Duke Chronicle player profile is up and this time it’s the last freshman, Darren Harris.
A product of Paul VI High School in Chantilly, Virginia, the 6-6 Harris, along with fellow freshman Patrick Ngongba, is the latest player from the school to head south to Durham. Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels also went to Paul VI.
Harris is one of the purest shooters in his class. He has a beautiful shot. Will that be enough to get him on the floor?
Maybe.
Coach Jon Scheyer has placed a premium on shooters since taking over for Mike Krzyzewski and this team features Caleb Foster, Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans, Cooper Flagg and Mason Gillis, all of whom can hit threes.
And none of them are one-trick ponies.
That’s not to say that Harris is but rather that he can’t afford to be and most of us have little idea about the rest of his skill set. If he turns out to be a great defender, he’ll almost certainly get minutes. Maybe he’s a surprisingly good rebounder or passer.
The truth is that we probably won't know until we see what he can do and what his other teammates, particularly Knueppel, Gillis and Sion James bring to the table.
But that shot… That shot is golden and it’s going to be fun to watch.
