Duke

Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer adds first 2024 commitment. Could another be close?

Duke basketball commit Mackenzie Mgbako, bottom left, greets recruit Dylan Harper, bottom right, as they stand with basketball commits Sean Stewart, top left, and Caleb Foster, top right, during Duke’s Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
Duke basketball commit Mackenzie Mgbako, bottom left, greets recruit Dylan Harper, bottom right, as they stand with basketball commits Sean Stewart, top left, and Caleb Foster, top right, during Duke’s Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. ehyman@newsobserver.com

Duke basketball added its first player to its 2024 recruiting class, and made strides toward adding another over the weekend.

Darren Harris, a 6-6 shooting guard, became coach Jon Scheyer’s first 2024 commitment Saturday, while Dylan Harper visited campus.

Rated a four-star player, Harris is entering his junior season at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Renowned for his shooting skills, he plays at the same high school that produced Duke players Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels. They helped Duke reach the Final Four last season before Keels went to the NBA, where he’s now with the New York Knicks. Roach is a preseason all-ACC guard on this season’s Duke team.

Harris, who visited Duke Oct. 14-15, picked the Blue Devils over Maryland, Miami and Ohio State.

The 6-4 Harper, a five-star recruit from New Jersey, attended Duke’s Countdown to Craziness event at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night during his campus visit. He sat behind the home bench during the Blue-White scrimmage along with three five-star players committed to Duke for the 2023 class — 6-8 Sean Stewart, 6-5 Caleb Foster and 6-8 Mackenzie Mgbako.

Harper has yet to commit, but posted photos of himself in a Duke uniform on his Twitter feed Sunday, offering a clue to his interest in the Blue Devils.

Dylan Harper’s father is Ron Harper, the retired NBA guard who played on five NBA championship teams — three with Chicago and two with the Los Angeles Lakers. Dylan’s older brother, Ron Harper, Jr., played at Rutgers and is currently with Toronto’s NBA G League team.

Duke offered Dylan Harper a scholarship in August and he picked up a Kansas offer earlier this month. He also received offers from Michigan and UCLA this summer. Rutgers offered him in spring 2021.

This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 3:28 PM.

Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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