Duran marks our first commitment of the 2027 class as he announced his pledge to head coach Pat Skerry and the Towson Tigers on Tuesday. The 6’1″-6’2″ combo guard will supply valuable floor-spacing as a lethal three-point marksman who showed in June that he can create for others off the bounce as well. Duran entered our top-10 at No. 9 in the updated rankings hours before announcing his commitment. This move should bode well for both Duran and the Tigers in a long-term lens.

Duran receives a well-deserved boost into the top-10 from No. 11 previously following a productive month of June. The 6’1″-6’2″ combo guard is appealing to college programs because of his super smooth shooting mechanics that make him one of the premier long-range shooters in the DMV. He helped Woodard lead the Mustangs to a 7-1 showing through DMV Live S1 & S2 averaging over 15PPG and converting 46 percent of his 59 attempts from beyond the arc. Duran is an effective team defender and still has plenty of potential to develop into a secondary playmaker on the ball as you project what he can be at the college level. Binghamton Chattanooga, Robert Morris, Towson, and UMass Lowell are all in the sweepstakes for Duran dating back to May.

Duran was able to couple a solid S1 weekend with a reminder in S2 of his pure shot making prowess. You’d be hard-pressed to find a prospect in the DMV that shoots a prettier ball with a more compact, fluid set of mechanics than the McNamara product. Whether it was off the catch, on the move or off the dribble, Duran proved to be one of the more dependable shooters this past weekend averaging 15.5PTS, 5.8APG and 3.8RPG while on 48/56/80 shooting splits.

Duran picked up an offer from Robert Morris as a result of his work.

It would be a tough argument to say that Duran doesn’t possess the prettiest jumper in the DMV right now. Whether it’s off a kick-out, coming off pindowns or off the bounce, his mechanics are compact and fluid. No matter the fashion in which he gets to his shot, it leaves his hand with picture perfect rotation and despite opposing defenses being aware of his outside shooting capabilities, he was converting at a 38 percent clip (34 total attempts). Duran has the type of form and footwork that are easily translatable to the collegiate ranks, which was a main reason for Chattanooga and Towson being court side for all of McNamara’s game. The Tigers’ head coach Pat Skerry made his presence known as the CAA program could begin to close on the sharpshooting guard.

This young man is flat out wired to score. He blends a crafty handle with shiftiness that allows him to break guys down off the dribble at will.  A knockdown shooter. He can easily convert off the bounce but is basically guarantee as a spot-up threat. Kirby has a beautiful stroke to go with that! Finish the game against Paul VI with 18 points 6-14 from the field, 6-9 from the 3pt line, and 2 assists. Kirby has the potential to be a Breakout prospect this spring and summer!

McNamara has been riddled by injuries this season as looked to stop a potential seven-game skid coming into this weekend. With the fluid rotation, it has allowed others such as Duran to adjust their shot diet and for a shooter of his ilk, will benefit him in the long run. He struggled to find his mark in the first half despite remaining aggressive and that resulted in a much better second half where he went 5-of-7 and 3-of-4 from deep. 13 of his 15 points came in the final two frames and his third quarter production was a catalyst for a fourth quarter push as The St. James took their foot off the gas.

21p 3r 2a 8/13 FG 5/7 3P

-Duran put on a shooting clinic in this one, getting back to his sharp-shooting ways in this one as a threat both in transition and in the halfcourt. Duran started things off with a 1-dribble pull from the midrange off the baseline stagger, hit a C+S 3 off the hop in transition, hit a teammate in the middle of the zone to collect the hockey assist to the big, hit Woodard on the short roll for the afore-mentioned dunks at the rim with beautiful pocket passes, and ducked under closeouts to hit 1-dribble pull-ups going either direction. His ability to shoot will unlock his ability to play-make for others in the halfcourt, a necessary effect that will be crucial to help McNamara’s offense the rest of the season.

Duran is in the same club as Mahan in that whenever the ball leaves his hands, you consider it a make. For the 6-foot-1 combo guard though, everything about his shot is beautiful. When he’s in rythym and the confidence is flowing, Duran can put on performances like he did in Saturday’s win where he followed Samuels with 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 on triples in 21 minutes. He has good spatial awareness and frequently finds windows on fades or lifts when others penetrate. He has pre-catch footwork to quickly establish balance and get into his shot, which makes the window of error for his defender closing out minimal.

Previous Ranking: 4

-Unfortunately haven’t gotten to see Duran much this summer due to a shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined the past few weeks. But the rising junior flourishes as a guard that can succeed both on or off the ball, providing the Mustangs with some roster flexibility as he can run an offense or hit shots off the ball to space the floor for his team. Duran’s skill level with the ball in his hands will give McNamara a potent 3-headed monster in their backcourt to challenge for a WCAC Championship as they head into a season with heightened expectations.

Making his debut with Team Takeover after nearly winning the 15U 3SSB circuit last summer, Duran was quick to remind why he broke out on a national scale when we last saw him on the grassroots scene. Coming off a somewhat quiet season taking a back seat to a handful of high school teammates, he looks to have asserted himself already as Takeover’s go-to perimeter option and offensive initiator. Rightfully known as one of the premier jump shooters in the region regardless of class, he displayed his textbook stroke from 3 both on and off the ball while also showcasing the balanced off-the-dribble game that was largely dormant throughout the winter. Playing as a lead guard or combo rather than an undersized ‘2’, Duran made it easy to see why high-majors have already extended offers his way.