Darren Harris needed just 16 seconds to make his presence felt Thursday night.
On Indiana’s opening possession against Bellarmine, the Duke transfer knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing, setting the tone for what would become the best performance of his collegiate career.
Harris finished with a career-high 23 points and tied his career high with five 3-pointers, leading Indiana to a 92-69 victory against Bellarmine at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. For a player who spent his first two collegiate seasons in a limited role at Duke, Thursday offered an early glimpse of the offensive weapon Indiana believes it acquired through the transfer portal.
“Yeah, I think it starts with my teammates setting me up, keeping confidence in me,” Harris said postgame. “I didn’t really shoot it well the last couple games, so I just really looked at film, knowing my shot better than anyone else.”
Those adjustments showed in the opening minutes.
After scoring the Hoosiers’ first five points, Harris kept finding opportunities both beyond the arc and attacking the basket. Late in the first half, he converted a contested tip-in and drew a foul following a missed Bryce Lindsay 3-pointer, then knocked down another triple to extend Indiana’s lead to 38-20.
Harris finished the half with 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, helping Indiana build a commanding 50-26 lead. He opened the second half with another 3-pointer and eventually finished 5-for-10 from deep.
His performance represented a significant improvement from Monday’s season opener against Eastern Illinois, when he scored seven points on 1-of-7 shooting.
For Indiana head coach Darian DeVries, however, Harris’ shooting display was hardly surprising.
“We’ve seen it all summer and fall and previously in his high school days,” DeVries said. “It was just a matter of time.”
Before arriving in Bloomington, Harris established himself as one of the nation’s most highly regarded high school prospects. A consensus four-star recruit out of St. Paul VI Catholic in Virginia, he earned Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year honors in 2024 after averaging 17.2 points per game and leading his team to a 33-2 record.
His offensive ability was particularly evident on the national stage. Harris scored 36 points against IMG Academy at the 2024 Chipotle Nationals and earned MVP honors at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam after scoring 28 points in the championship game.
That production helped earn him an opportunity at Duke, although consistent playing time proved difficult to find.
Across two seasons with the Blue Devils, Harris appeared in 57 games, averaging just 2.8 points in 8.3 minutes per contest. He showed flashes of his shooting ability, including a five-3-pointer performance against Army last November, but never became a consistent offensive contributor.
His previous career high of 16 points came against Notre Dame in February.
Transferring to Indiana gave Harris a chance to rediscover the confidence and offensive freedom that defined his high school career. Thursday’s performance suggested that transition is beginning to take shape.
“New arena, new team, new coach, new city, new school. Everything is new. A new role,” Harris said. “I think just getting more comfortable and getting used to playing heavy minutes again, I knew that was going to be a little bit of a challenge for me.”
Beyond the individual scoring output, Harris’ shooting provides another dimension to an Indiana offense already featuring several capable perimeter threats.
Lindsay contributed 15 points Thursday, including 13 in the opening half. Together, Harris and Lindsay accounted for 28 of Indiana’s 50 first-half points, repeatedly stretching Bellarmine’s defense.
Indiana finished with 12 made 3-pointers, while Aiden Sherrell and Sam Alexis added 12 points apiece. The Hoosiers shot 50 percent from the field while improving to 2-0.
“When we get going at the level we can get going at, it’s scary,” Harris said.
Perhaps most encouraging for Indiana is that DeVries believes Harris’ offensive role can expand considerably as the season progresses.
The Hoosiers have used Harris primarily as a spot-up shooter through their first two games, but DeVries envisions incorporating more actions designed specifically to create opportunities for him.
“He’s one of those guys you can run actions for, too,” DeVries said. “We haven’t done a lot of that yet. But he’s a good movement shooter, too.”
By bringing Harris off staggered screens and other off-ball actions, Indiana could create additional opportunities for a player whose quick release and shooting ability make him dangerous even without the ball in his hands.
The performance came against an Atlantic Sun Conference team in Bellarmine, and Indiana will face a more significant challenge Monday against Syracuse in Indianapolis. Whether Harris can sustain that production against stronger competition remains to be seen.
Still, Thursday reminded everyone of the scoring ability that once made him one of the nation’s most coveted high school prospects.
After two seasons spent largely watching from the sidelines at Duke, Harris is beginning to show what he can provide when given a larger opportunity.
And for an Indiana team still discovering its offensive identity, his emergence could prove increasingly valuable.
