Duke basketball signee makes strong case to become 5-star at Chipotle Nationals

The Duke basketball team has five 5-star recruits entering campus this summer, and it should be six.

A handful of future Blue Devils are taking center stage this weekend at Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals in Indiana, where eight of the best boys teams in the country are competing to win the title.

Darren Harris, the first player in the Class of 2024 to commit to Jon Scheyer, took center stage and, despite being a 4-star recruit, he made his case to be elevated to a 5-star prospect when the final recruiting rankings are unveiled later this spring.

The No. 54 player in the 247Sports Composite Rankings went for 36 points in a 12-point victory over IMG Academy (Fla.), making 12-of-21 shots from the floor and 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds and three assists.

Harris, named as Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year in mid-March, played 30 minutes and exploded for 19 points in the third quarter, outscoring the entire IMG Academy team by six points in the fame.

Paul VI (Va.), the No. 2 seed in the bracket, also saw the season debut of its other Duke commit, Patrick Ngongba II. The 6-foot-11 center had been sidelined all season with a foot injury which required surgery. He came off the bench and had six points and five rebounds in nine minutes as he gets readjusted to the game.

The only shot Ngongba missed, who was 3-for-4 from the floor, was a 3-pointer. His recruiting rankings have remained steady during the season despite his absence from the floor.

The Blue Devils duo will return to the court on Friday, April 5 against Link Academy (Mo) at 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in the semifinals with the possibility still alive of playing Cooper Flagg and Montverde Academy (Fla.) in the championship.