Every good basketball team needs at least one reliable 3-point shooter, the kind of guy who can draw defenses out to the perimeter and open up space in the middle.
Indiana had that last year in Lamar Wilkerson, who was one of the more prolific deep threats in the country in his lone season in Bloomington. He joined the program with plenty of proven production at the mid-major level, so there was an expectation for him to take on that role.
The Hoosiers don’t have that kind of proven college experience this year. Instead, the staff is leaning on former Duke transfer Darren Harris to make good on the promise he showed in high school.
G Darren Harris
- Position: Wing
- Year: Third
- Role: Starting shooting guard/3-point specialist
- Previous school: Duke
Harris comes to Bloomington after having spent the first two seasons of his career with Duke, playing sparse minutes off the bench for two extraordinarily talented Blue Devils rosters.
He was rated as a 4-star prospect in the class of 2024 by the 247Sports composite, being listed as a small forward with a height of 6’6”. He had a remarkably strong reputation as a 3-point shooter in high school, both for his ability to make shots from deep and his quickness in releasing the ball. He’s able to shoot on the move, but doesn’t do too much off the dribble.
Now, with Darian DeVries giving him the ultimate green light at Indiana, he’ll have an opportunity to show his shooting prowess.
The challenge for Harris is twofold at Indiana. He’s gotta prove he really can shoot the ball well at this level and he’s more veratile beyond that.
Harris hasn’t done much aside from shoot during his brief minutes at Duke and the run he’s gotten in exhibition play at Indiana. He hasn’t been close enough to the rim to be on hand for rebounds, but he’s got great size for the backcourt to be able to get after the ball. He also hasn’t shown too much as a driver, which is interesting given you’d think his shot form would allow him to convert well from the free throw line.
He also has to find passing opportunities. If he shoots well and gets defended as such, he should find ways to pass out of it in such a way that sets the Hoosiers up for some easy scores.
DeVries has spoken of Harris’ shooting ability with great faith. That’s what any good coach would do, and he’s gonna try to keep Harris confident, but Indiana’s going to need its go-to 3-point shooting option to, well, do that well.
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