Duke basketball recruiting: Blue Devils could soon catch fire

Commitments so often follow official visits to the Duke basketball program.

Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A year ago, the Duke basketball recruiters had landed their first 2023 commit in five-star point guard Caleb Foster. Currently, the Blue Devils are without a prize on the 2024 recruiting trail, but they have a chance to take another giant step in their recruitment of Paul VI High School (Va.) small forward Darren Harris this weekend.

Harris, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound four-star who ranks No. 48 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite and is one of seven players in his class holding a Duke basketball offer, will be in Durham on an official visit beginning Friday. Plus, he is a week removed from announcing his four finalists: Duke, Maryland, Miami, and Ohio State.

All of the above suggests his commitment might be imminent, albeit Harris has yet to reveal a timeline for his decision.

He recently provided his thoughts on each finalist during a chat with 247Sports' Dushawn London. He referred to Maryland as the "hometown favorite." He pointed to his family's long-time relationship with Miami head coach Jim Larranaga, who coached his dad at George Mason. And he had kind words about the Ohio State staff.

Here's what Harris told London about the Duke basketball program, which he has already visited twice (both were unofficial visits last season):

"Duke is a legendary program, and [first-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer] is a really good recruiter. You can tell by the class he's been getting lately. They made me feel like a priority, and when Duke is making you a priority, it's kind of hard for them not to make your top four."

Darren Harris also recently spoke to All Hurricanes' Luke Chaney and implied that his experience during his upcoming trip to Duke — the only official visit he has scheduled — could determine his next step in choosing a college:

"Duke's a really good program historically...the whole coaching staff's definitely been making me feel wanted. They've watched our practices more than any other school has, so it means a lot...I definitely wanna just see how the visit goes and go from there."

The 247Sports Crystal Ball for Harris does not yet contain a prediction. Meanwhile, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine paints the Blue Devils as the slight frontrunner, with a 51.7 percent chance of coming out on top.

Of course, it's worth noting he attends the same school that produced Duke basketball junior captain Jeremy Roach and 2021-22 Blue Devil one-and-done Trevor Keels.

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As one the most heralded 3-point weapons in his class, Darren Harris has said he models his style after famed quick-release sharpshooter Klay Thompson.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.