Photo credit: Ricardo Rolon-USA TODAY NETWORK
Future Duke Basketball Flamethrower Among 'Top 2024 Rising Players'
It's safe to say that Paul VI Catholic (Va.) wing Darren Harris, the first of now-five pieces to the Duke basketball program's top-ranked 2024 recruiting class, has lived up to his billing as a four-star prospect. One could argue the 6-foot-6, 195-pound senior has proved deserving of a fifth star by his name.
Last week, Harris, No. 57 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, successfully defended his title in net-whipping fashion at the City of Palms Classic 3-Point Shootout.
A few days later at that premier holiday prep tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., he scored 25 points, shooting 4-for-9 from downtown to power a win in the third-place game.
So, on Christmas Day, it wasn't surprising to see him on the list of 14 "Top 2024 Rising Players" that HS Top Recruits posted on social media. Harris, a Paul VI teammate to a fellow future Blue Devil in five-star 2024 center Patrick Ngongba II (out of commission with a foot injury), checks in at No. 8 among the following group:
Following Darren Harris' 17-point outing in his squad's opening-round victory at the City of Palms, 247Sports national recruiting expert Travis Branham noted the long-renowned sharpshooter's budding abilities in other areas:
"Harris, a Duke signee, shined in DC last weekend and is continuing to show the expansions he made in his game this offseason. He once was a specialist that would drill shots from three off the catch, but now he has developed his handle and his body and has become a better defender and scorer because of it."
Harris and Ngongba are set to arrive in Durham alongside at least three other Duke basketball recruiting prizes. They're five-star talents: Wisconsin Lutheran forward Kon Knueppel, North Meck (N.C.) wing Isaiah Evans, and the composite No. 1 recruit, Montverde Academy (Fla.) forward Cooper Flagg.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.