Photo credit: Ricardo Rolon-USA TODAY Sports
Future Duke Basketball Wing Proves Clutch to Defend 3-Point Crown
Last year, as a Paul VI Catholic (Va.) junior and early Duke basketball commit, Darren Harris won the 3-Point Shootout at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., with a score of 16 points in the final round.
But in his title defense a year later at the prestigious holiday prep showcase on Wednesday night, the 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward, last up in this year's final round, needed 20 to tie and force another round. Instead, he reached 21 on a walk-off swish with the money ball, his last shot from the final rack.
First, here are Harris' highlights from an earlier round, drawing high praise from Hoop Herald in the following post:
And below is footage of his clutch performance in the final round to keep his crown. At the end, pay attention to his signature "go to sleep" gesture, which he famously displayed after draining a silencing 3-pointer late in the championship game at Peach Jam in July on his way to earning MVP honors:
Darren Harris, a perhaps underrated four-star who ranks only No. 57 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite but is arguably the nation's premier prep sharpshooter, signed his national letter of intent with the Blue Devils in November.
His teammate at Paul VI Catholic, composite five-star center Patrick Ngongba II, committed to Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff in early November and put it ink alongside Harris a few days later.
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The other three members of Scheyer & Co.'s top-ranked class are five-stars: Wisconsin Lutheran forward Kon Knueppel, North Meck (N.C.) forward Isaiah Evans, and the cycle's No. 1 prospect in Montverde Academy (Fla.) forward Cooper Flagg.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.