De’Vion Harmon lands at Oregon

After two years as a starter in Norman, Harmon takes his talents to Eugene

After flirting with professional basketball and mulling a season or two under Porter Moser, De’Vion Harmon has finally made his decision.

Harmon announced on social media Friday night that he’ll be taking his basketball talents to Eugene, OR, and play next season for the Oregon Ducks.

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De'Vion Harmon
De'Vion Harmon :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

Harmon, a native of Plano, TX, who went to high school in Denton, played two years at Oklahoma, which initially won his services from among six Big 12 offers. Harmon also got offers from LSU, Georgia Tech, Cal, Arizona State and others.

When Lon Kruger announced his retirement on March 28, Harmon began pondering his future. At first, he declared he would begin the process for entering the NBA Draft.

Then after the Sooners hired Moser, Moser said on a radio show that he was optimistic Harmon would return to Norman.

“I’ve had many conversations with De’Vion,” Moser told KREF, “and I know he hasn’t formally said it, but all signs point to that De’Vion’s gonna come back.”

Harmon then reportedly entered his name into the transfer portal on April 15.

Now he’s finally nailed down a home.

Lon Kruger and De'Vion Harmon
Lon Kruger and De'Vion Harmon / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

At Oregon, he'll be reunited with former OU assistant coach Chris Crutchfield, who led Harmon's recruitment to Norman before spending one year at Arkansas and then taking the head coaching job at East Central University in Ada. Crutchfield was introduced as the latest member of Dana Altman's staff on April 14 — one day before Harmon's entry into the portal. 

"It's in the Pac 12 and it's a great school," Harmon told 247 Sports. "Coach Altman is a great coach. He's known for letting his players go out there and hoop and have fun and learn ways to win. Another big piece is coach 'Crutch.' We built a relationship far beyond basketball. Ever since my sophomore year he has been by my side and it got taken away from us because he went to Arkansas but God brings things back full circle which is crazy. He's like a father figure to me outside the basketball game."

Harmon also told 247 Sports he's still going through the NBA Draft process, but if he does choose to come back to school, it'll be at Oregon.

It's kind of up and down," he said, "but I know if I don't end up staying in the draft, then I will be in Eugene." 

Harmon was a two-year starter in Norman, starting 22 of the Sooners’ 31 games in 2019-20 and 23 of 25 in 2020-21.

A tenacious on-ball defender and energetic personality, he often sparked the OU defense to fast-break points as a freshman with 35 steals — ninth in OU history among freshmen. He averaged 7.4 points, 2.0 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 34.3 percent from 3-point range and 36.4 percent from the field.

As a sophomore, Harmon elevated his offensive game to 12.9 points per game (second on the team behind Austin Reaves) and averaged 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He also shot 33.0 percent from 3 and 47.7 percent from the floor.

Harmon will have three years of college eligibility available.


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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.