Darren Harris' career night embodies something larger about Indiana basketball right now

BLOOMINGTON — Darren Harris inserted himself into what turned out to be the best game of his college career at the earliest possible moment Thursday night.

Harris, a Duke transfer, caught and shot the Hoosiers‘ first field goal attempt, in what eventually matured into a 92-69 win over Bellarmine. That shot, a 3-point attempt, went down, a relief for the player who by his own admission had not shot the ball particularly well recently.

There was still no doubt in Harris’ mind, before or after that first make, about the job he had to do, or how he intended to do it.

“It starts with my teammates setting me up, keeping confidence in me,” Harris said. “I didn’t really shoot it well the last couple games, so I just really looked at film, knowing my shot better than anyone else, just trying to look at film as much as I can, seeing what’s natural, and just making little tweaks, making my follow-through a little stronger, holding it a little better, and it worked.”

The former Blue Devil traded Durham for Bloomington last spring looking for a fresh start.

A top-50 recruit out of Paul VI in Fairfax, Virginia, Harris never quite found his feet at his first college stop. He’s needed just a few months to win his new coach’s trust.

“We’ve seen it all summer and fall, and previously in his high school days. It was just a matter of time,” IU coach Darian DeVries said. “You’re part of a new team and got a new role, and you want to do well, and he’s a kid that really tries every day to give us what he can give. He wants to so bad. It was nice to see him have a great night.”

Harris finished with a career-high 23 points, thanks in part to five made 3s, Thursday night, rewarding DeVries’ faith in him and, in his own way, capturing the moment this new-look team now meets. Indiana — like its junior shooting guard — is looking for greater potential in a fresh opportunity. Indiana, like its junior shooting guard, will probably have to weather some storms on its way to realizing that potential.

And if Indiana, like its junior shooting guard, sees its way through to the other side, then DeVries’ belief in this roster and his program’s direction will be affirmed.

Darren Harris representative of IU basketball roster, transfers

Harris’ story mimics that of many of his new teammates.

Most, if not all, came hoping for something more — for themselves, yes, but also for something larger as well. Players like Harris and Aiden Sherrell hoped Indiana could broaden their basketball horizons beyond what was possible at their previous schools.

Others, like Markus Burton and Samet Yigitoglu, picked the Hoosiers eager for a fresh start with a program possessing a considerable ceiling for success.

Each of them acts and speaks like he understands all that success only comes when these Hoosiers learn to play as something greater than the sum of their parts. But as Harris illustrated Thursday night, it also means meeting new challenges with force and emphasis.

“It’s a brand-new situation,” Harris said. “New arena, new team, new coach, new city, new school. Everything is new. A new role. I think just getting more comfortable and getting used to playing heavy minutes again, I knew that was going to be a little bit of a challenge for me. …

“I know I’m a really good shooter, and when I get going like that, the rim seems wide open for me.”

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For Harris specifically, that role never materialized at Duke. He shot just 30.8% from behind the arc over two seasons in Durham, scoring in double figures just three times in 57 appearances as a Blue Devil.

Carving out that role at Indiana has not been a problem. Now, it’s about what Harris does with it.

Unlike some of his new teammates, Harris did plenty of winning at his last stop. He came to Indiana (2-0) hoping refresh his career, and offer a greater contribution to the same success elsewhere.

IU basketball has room for improvement

His story, then, fits so much of DeVries’ second-year roster, almost entirely remade through prep recruiting and the spring portal window. By its nature, that roster should remain incomplete to the naked eye for some time.

There will be moments of promise, as there have been through these first two games. There will also be things in need of cleaning up.

DeVries, for example, would like more complete defensive performances than he’s gotten these first two games. Bellarmine (0-2) actually outscored Indiana by a single point in the second half, averaging 1.27 unadjusted points per possession and frustrating DeVries into at least one unplanned timeout.

“After two games, I like my first-half team. The first-half team has been good. Second half, I feel like we’ve gotten away from our bench, and the communication has dropped defensively,” DeVries said. “For us, maintaining that focus when you have a lead is a quality you have to have too. I didn’t think our intensity in both the second halves defensively was up to our standard.”

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To suggest DeVries is stressed about defense would probably oversell it. Mostly, like so much about his new team, it’s probably more fair to say he’s working on it. That includes the confidence and rhythm of a player DeVries believes will become an impactful 3-point scorer for the Hoosiers this winter.

Like many of his teammates, Darren Harris is experienced enough to manage the ebbs and flows of a college basketball season. If the one thing that does not waver — within Harris or the Hoosiers — is the self-belief necessary to navigate that season’s more difficult moments, then Indiana should be fine.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Darren Harris’ career night embodies something larger about Indiana basketball right now