Duke offers elite shooter
Duke has now offered another young prospect from Paul VI in Fairfax, Virginia. He’s an elite marksman with size, named Darren Harris.
It’s safe to say that Duke has a pretty good relationship with the Paul VI program in Fairfax, Virginia.
Two of the top six players on the current squad came from the school. Freshman wing Trevor Keels and sophomore point guard Jeremy Roach played for Glenn Farello’s program.
News broke Sunday on Twitter that Duke has now offered another young prospect from the esteemed private school on the outskirts of Washington, DC. His name is Darren Harris, who’s just a mere sophomore but is evidently a pretty incredible weapon for Paul VI.
“He’s a fantastic shooter,” said Farello. “Darren is an elite shooter with deep range. Darren has a quick release and attacks the rim off the dribble. He and Trevor Keels are the two best shooters we have had over the last few years.”
Pretty high praise from a coach who has had a ton of success and dozens of Division I prospects.
The offer from Jon Scheyer is certainly new, but the interest between Harris and Duke has some backstory.
“It’s not sudden,” Farello said of the interest from Duke. “They watched him in the summer with Team Takeover 16s and most recently saw him at our victory at DeMatha. Darren went to a game at Duke in late November and last night (Saturday versus Florida State) as well.”
So the offer comes immediately after his second unofficial visit to Durham.
“(Harris) and Trevor Keels are the two best shooters we have had over the last few years.” — Farello on Harris
We asked his coach about the fit with the ACC leader.
“Darren’s ability to shoot the ball and stretch the floor is his most valuable asset. But he’s not just a shooter. He understands the value of making winning plays without the ball and has been a big part of our success this year.”
The early relationship between Harris and the Duke staff is a solid move due to the fact the Blue Devils tend to perform best when they recruit multiple players who can shoot the ball. And he has plenty of time to round out the rest of his game as well.
“I think the Duke staff sees what I see,” said Farello. “A young player that already possesses an elite skill that has the potential to round out his game over the next two plus years. At 6-5 and 200 pounds, Darren can grow into being a versatile defender and will continue to make strides in going off the bounce and creating opportunities for others since he will draw so much attention shooting.”
Certainly being a sophomore, Harris will have time to grow his game and continue to develop his rapport with Duke’s young coaching staff. And naturally, with two visits under his belt, he’s learning a lot about what Duke has to offer. And with Roach and Keels there, Harris is in a great position to get a strong pulse on the program.