2024 wing Darren Harris making a name for himself, talks Duke offer

Over the weekend, Darren Harris a 6-foot-6 small forward out of Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI became just the second player in the class of 2024 to receive an offer from Duke.

For Harris, the Blue Devils are his third scholarship offer, following the local programs of Georgetown and George Mason.

Receiving an offer from such a prestigious school, like Duke, is an honor but with it comes a great deal of attention, and pressure.

“I’m grateful to be in this position, and all the attention is great but now I know I need to bring my performance to a new level because there is going to be a lot of pressure on me,” Harris said.

Harris breaks down Duke offer

“It was a great feeling. They had been talking to me for a while and I kind of expected it, so I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know when,” Harris explained. “Getting an offer from Duke, especially being only the second person in my class, means a lot. They could always wait until June when most people in my grade start to get offers…but the fact that they believe in me a lot to offer me this early means a lot.”

Harris has been to Durham twice to see the Blue Devils play. Most recently, for Duke’s game against Florida State on Saturday. After the win, Jon Scheyer presented him the offer. How did it all go down?

“They took me back to the lounge area and it was just me and my family, Coach (Jon) Scheyer, and Nolan Smith. We were just talking about my game, how my season has been going, how their season has been going…they also came to see my game against DeMatha a couple of weeks ago…and they said they loved what they saw, and they ended up offering me.”

What does Coach Scheyer like about Harris’ game?

“He likes my shooting ability and my size,” said Harris. “But he also likes my IQ. I play the game the right way. He likes how I make a lot of winning plays for my team, how I take charges, rebound, and just how I do the little things. He sees that I’m a winning player.”

Harris’ school, Paul VI, better known as PVI, has grown quite familiar with Duke. Former stars Trevor Keels and Jeremy Roach are both current Blue Devils.

“They talked to me right after the offer happened,” Harris said. “I think they knew it was going to happen. They just congratulated me and Trevor said to get ready for all the pressure and all the haters.”

Harris discusses other past visits

Despite only being a sophomore, Harris has also taken visits to Villanova, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. He broke down each of those trips with On3.

Villanova: “I visited for their midnight madness type game. I could tell their coaching staff knew a lot about me. I walked in and the associate head coach greeted my family and me and said he loved my game and said he’s watched a lot of my games. After the visit, I was able to talk to Jay Wright and that was great because he’s a Hall of Famer. It’s a great program. The energy at the event was crazy. The fans were great. They’re a winning program and they’re really well-coached. So it’s great to be recruited by them.”

Georgetown:  “It’s the hometown school. Playing at home would be great. Obviously, they have a Hall of Fame coach, legendary coach, and legendary program. On the visit, I could really tell that they really wanted me. We sat down with Patrick Ewing, me, and my family and talked about my game. He showed me some videos of other shooters and how I would fit in the offense. I also watched practice and saw how seriously they take things. It was great to see how coach Ewing coaches.”

Virginia Tech: “Coach (Mike) Jones, an assistant there, used to coach at DeMatha Catholic. So I’m pretty familiar with him. He talks to my family a little bit. He’s a great guy. He talks to me the most out of their staff.  I got to see a practice and walk around the campus and see the facilities. It’s a great school. I’ve watched a lot of their games this year. The atmosphere gets pretty crazy in there. They’re a good team and they also use shooters really well. That’s something Coach (Mike) Young told me, that shooters do really well there.”

Pittsburgh: “I like their coaching staff a lot. They made me feel like family on the visit there. We went to a football game against Clemson. It was great and the fans are crazy. We watched their practice and it was also great. It was very well organized. The facilities were really nice and so was the city. They play in the ACC which is a big conference so that’s a plus.”

UConn starting to show interest

The Huskies are one of the newest schools to express interest in Harris. He gave his thoughts on their program.

“I’m in the process of learning more about them,” he says. “I played against someone last year who’s at UConn now, Jordan Hawkins. He’s a good player. They do well with scoring guards. I feel like I fit the mold of that. They’re really well-coached. Coach (Dan) Hurley is a good coach. I like them a lot, and I like their program.”

Harris talks upcoming Ohio State visit

The sophomore wing’s next visit will be to Ohio State on March 6th, according to Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers. Harris gave his early thoughts on the Buckeyes.

“They play in a good conference and they’re well-coached. Coach Tony Skin talks to me the most. He talks to me however he can because I’m only a sophomore. He tells me I’ll be a great fit there. They have some good shooters on the team there right now and I think I could fit that mold a little bit. It’s a great program.”

Timetable?

With two full years of high school left, Darren Harris is in no rush to make a decision. He says “I haven’t thought much about that yet. I’ll probably have to take some more time and see what other offers I get, and build more relationships and get closer with more coaches.”