Oregon Basketball has its point guard for next season in De’Vion Harmon
Oregon Basketball has been very successful in landing transfers in the past few seasons, with three of the team’s top four scorers playing just one year with them. After missing out on a couple of targets so far this offseason, the Ducks were able to get a big pickup in former Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon.
A former top-50 prospect out of high school, Harmon was a starter out the gate for the Sooners. He started 22 out of 31 games for the team as a freshman, averaging 7.4 ppg and 2.0 apg on just 36% shooting from the field. The 6’2 guard had his fair share of inconsistent play but the backcourt for Oklahoma that season never seemed to mesh, with there being no clear lead guard to take command.
Things were much more clear this past season, with Harmon as the top offensive option for the Sooners in the backcourt, with mid-major transfers Elijah Harkless and Umoja Gibson serving as good complementary pieces. The sophomore had a bit of a breakout campaign, second on the team with 12.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and most importantly, 48% shooting from the field.
It was disappointing that his Sooners career ended with missing the 2021 NCAA Tournament due to covid protocols, followed by the retirement of head coach Lon Kruger. Harmon entered the transfer portal and became one of the top free agents available but in the end, followed his assistant coach Chris Crutchfield out west to a team in Oregon that could really use his services.
The Ducks are one of many programs undergoing a major roster change. Seniors Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa, Amauri Hardy, and Eugene Omoruyi have graduated, while Chandler Lawson, Jalen Terry, and Aaron Estrada all transferred out. The good news is that the frontcourt is currently in good shape, with N’Faly Dante, Eric Williams, and Franck Kepnang all coming back, joined by top-50 stretch forward Isaac Johnson and five-star big man Nathan Bittle joining for next season.
The backcourt is the issue. Right now, Will Richardson (11.3 ppg and 3.9 apg) is the lone returning perimeter player on the roster. They don’t have any incoming freshman guards but are currently in play for top-30 point guard TyTy Washington. Expect them to be in the transfer portal in the effort to land a couple more guards to add depth but for now, the combo of Richardson and Harmon should be very effective in the Pac-12.
Harmon is more of a natural “point guard” than Richardson, although he only averaged just a couple of assists a game in two years at Oklahoma. All-Big 12 guard Austin Reaves taking over the playmaking duties played a part of that so look for Harmon’s passing numbers to automatically take a jump with his new team.
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There were a number of pure point guards in the portal but few were sure bets to succeed at the Pac-12 level. Harmon is one of them and between his familiarity with one of the coaches and a clear need for a proven guard on the Ducks side, look for the newest Oregon Basketball player to be one of the more impactful players of all the transfers from this offseason.