IU basketball summer in review: Darren Harris
- Alex Bozich
- 5m ago
Welcome to IU basketball “summer in review,” where we will recap the summer that was for the program’s 2026-27 roster.
The Hoosiers, representing the United States, played an exhibition game in Assembly Hall in July and four games in the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
Next up: Darren Harris
Previously: Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz, Trent Sisley, Aiden Sherrell
A 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Herndon, Virginia, Harris transferred to Indiana after two seasons at Duke.
A four-star recruit in the 2024 class, Harris averaged 2.8 points in 8.3 minutes per game for the Blue Devils over 57 games.
You can read our summer feature on Harris from June 19 at this link.
Game-by-game statistics for Harris this summer
• Exhibition vs. Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf: 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-7 mark on 3-pointers. Harris added three rebounds in 22 minutes.
• FISU America Games vs. Peru: Two points, four steals and three rebounds.
• FISU America Games vs. Virgin Islands: Four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Harris made one 3-pointer.
• FISU America Games vs. Chile: 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
• FISU America Games vs Virgin Islands: 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.
• Final Averages at the FISU America Games: Harris averaged 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals. He shot 12-for-30 from the field (40.0 percent), 7-for-22 on 3-pointers (31.8 percent) and 3-for-6 from the free-throw line (50.0 percent).
Notes on Harris from open practices
• June 18 practice notes: “The first thing that stands out with Harris is how efficient his release is. When Harris catches the ball, it doesn’t take him long to get the ball up and out of his shooting pocket. Opportunity shouldn’t be a problem for Harris next year, who was a top-40 recruit out of high school that could never fully break into the rotation at Duke. Indiana will be counting on him to provide perimeter shooting and the early returns look positive. He can also make mid-range shots off the dribble.”
• June 25 practice notes: “What Harris lacks in athleticism and quickness, he makes up for in connecting on shots when he is open. He doesn’t need much time to get his shot off. His shooting percentages weren’t great at Duke but he continues to make perimeter shots at a high level in the practices we’ve observed. He also had a few plays off the dribble where he got to the midrange for an open shot.”
• July 7 practice notes: “The Duke transfer continues to look like a player who is capable of capitalizing on his opportunity for a bigger role. Harris never broke through as a rotation regular in Durham but is certainly in the top six of the IU rotation as things currently stand. On Tuesday, he made some plays off the dribble that showed he’s more than a spot-up shooter. He twice got all the way to the rim and finished with a layup and also made a few midrange jump shots off the dribble. Still, the most intriguing part of his game is the perimeter shot. Harris has a quick, efficient release and very good form.”
Five summer quotes from Harris
On the primary factors that led him to choose to transfer to Indiana:
“Really, just the way the coaches believe in me. That was something I was looking for, playing for coaches that have my back. And the play style really attracted me.
“I think that the fit is great, the way coach (DeVries) coaches is great for me. Obviously, I’m close to Coach Kenny (Johnson), he’s from my area. So just having a staff that knows what I’m capable of and believes in me.”
On whether he feels like he’ll be able to showcase more of his game and get more of an opportunity to play next season:
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think for me, like I said, coaches really believe in me. First couple of weeks of practice have been going great, I love it. The way we play, the way they allow us to play, I really like it. And I’m hoping to keep it going, because it’s looking good.”
On whether there are parts of his game that are overlooked that he hasn’t been able to show yet in college:
“Yeah, I think I’m really trying to get back to what I was playing towards the end of my high school career, just playing freely. Doing more than just shooting. I think I’m a good decision maker with the ball in my hands.
“And without the ball in my hands, getting the screen set for me, my gravity can open other guys up. And defensively, I’ve been getting better every year. I got stronger, got quicker, faster.”
“And just coming from a place like Duke, a great program. Obviously, I played on two historic teams. I’m just taking everything I learned there over here and just trying to carry it over on both sides of the ball. And yeah, I think a lot of people don’t really know what I can do yet, so I’m looking forward to it.”
On the biggest thing he learned during his time at Duke:
“Just what it takes to win at a high level. I wouldn’t trade my time there for the world. I talked to my teammates every day, kept close contact with my coaches throughout the whole process.
“I still talk to some of them. So, I mean, it’s no love lost over there. I’m gonna still be rooting for them.
“And just from what I learned, just like I said, just what it takes to win. How close, how much camaraderie impacts winning. And just the way you need to play to win.”
On whether the 3-point attempts that IU and Lamar Wilkerson took last season helped him see the program as a good fit:
“Yeah, I think for me, it was that and it was how fast they played. I wanted to go somewhere where we play fast and get up and down the court. And that mixed with, like you said, watching Lamar a lot, watching Tucker (DeVries) and all those guys, the way they played.
“The freedom they let him play with, the screens that were set for him, just everything kind of just matched my game perfectly.”
Harris video Q&A
Darian DeVries to Andy Katz on the shooting ability of Harris
“I think Darren Harris has looked really good in our workouts so far this summer. He’s done a lot of things similar to Lamar (Wilkerson) in our workouts. So, that’s exciting because we all know how Lamar could fill it up.”
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