IU basketball transfer portal player profile: Duke guard Darren Harris

Duke wing Darren Harris handles the ball.

Indiana’s 2026-27 roster will be rebuilt this spring by second-year coach Darian DeVries, who will navigate the portal with executive director of basketball Ryan Carr and the Hoosier coaching staff.

Inside the Hall will examine some of the prospects who could make sense for the Hoosiers to pursue out of the portal. Up next: Duke guard Darren Harris.

Previously: Markus Burton, Rowan Brumbaugh, Adam Olsen, J.P. Estrella

Numbers to know

57 career games at Duke: 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.2 steals in 8.3 minutes per game. Harris shot 36.4 percent from the field, 30.8 percent on 3-pointers and 69.1 percent from the free-throw line. Harris has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Background and potential fit

A product of Paul VI Catholic in Virginia, Darren Harris was a highly-touted recruit in the 2024 recruiting circle. The Herndon, Virginia, native was the No. 39 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Billed primarily as a shooter with size out of high school, Harris was also heavily pursued by Maryland and Virginia Tech. Still, he chose Duke’s loaded 2024 class, which also included Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel and Patrick Ngongba.

Given the strong competition for playing time as a freshman for the Blue Devils, it wasn’t a surprise that Harris had a limited role in the 2024-25 season. He appeared in just 21 games for Duke in his first season and shot 5-for-22 on 3s. His season-high of seven points came in Duke’s 93-49 blowout win against Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Entering his sophomore season, the hope was for Harris to be used as a shooting specialist off the bench on a Duke roster that was once again loaded. He showed early signs of being capable of filling that role as he knocked down five triples in a 114-59 win against Army on November 11. But the shooting consistency never surfaced as Harris made two or more 3-pointers in just five games all season and went 23-for-69 from distance in a limited role.

While he had several outings in ACC play with double-figure minutes, he logged a total of 18 minutes in Duke’s four NCAA tournament games and didn’t score a point.

Given the uncertainty of his role moving forward and a desire to play more minutes, it wasn’t a surprise to see Harris enter the transfer portal.

Indiana assistant coach Kenny Johnson has strong ties to Paul XI Catholic – he was the associate head coach there for four years and later recruited Stanford Robinson to Indiana from the school – and Harris is a portal prospect for the Hoosiers to investigate further. Harris also played for Team Takeover, a program that Johnson was heavily involved with in the past.

Harris didn’t produce much statistically at Duke, nor did he shoot well, but a change of scenery and a more consistent role could unlock the skills that made Harris a top-40 recruit out of high school. It’s clear Indiana values perimeter shooting and he could be an ideal buy-low player that ends up contributing in a significant way next season at the high-major level.

Highlights of Harris

(Photo credit: Duke Athletics)

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