No. 3 college basketball recruit sets decision date. Kansas & K-State are finalists
Darryn Peterson, the consensus No. 3-ranked player in the high school basketball recruiting class of 2025, will announce his college choice on Nov. 1, his dad told On3.com on Monday.
Peterson, a a 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior combo guard out of Prolific Prep in Napa, California, has a final list of Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State and USC.
Peterson at one time had Kentucky, Louisville, Washington, Arizona State, Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Mississippi and others on his list of schools.
A native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Peterson, who attended Huntington Prep in West Virginia a year ago, first visited Lawrence when he was in eighth grade and made an official visit to KU in June.
Of KU coach Bill Self, he told Rivals.com: “That’s my guy. He’s been watching me since freshman year. He just tells me to keep getting better and that they want me. They feel like Kansas is the best place for me. I like how they run their sets. I like a coach that runs sets but doesn’t over-coach. He has sets that they put in, but he lets his guards figure it out in crunch time.”
He added to On3.com: “The biggest thing about the (KU) facilities for me was they have a gym inside of where they live. I would be able to get into that whenever I need to.”
Peterson has the distinction of being the first high school athlete to sign a deal with Adidas. Last November, he signed a multi-year NIL contract with the apparel company.
Peterson played at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy his freshman and soph seasons before moving to Huntington Prep for his junior campaign. He averaged 23.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists last year at Huntington Prep. As a sophomore at Cuyahoga High, he averaged 31.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists.
Former NBA player Sam Mitchell, the coach of Phenom United, sees great potential in Peterson.
“He wants to be great,” Mitchell told the Akron Beacon Journal. “I watched this kid play. I played 14 years in the NBA and I couldn’t even scratch the surface at this stage of my life. He plays well above his level. He wants it. He puts the work in.
“... He has everything. In order to have the skill set like that, you have to live in the gym. It has to be basketball first, second and third, and that was Kobe Bryant. Kobe loved the game. He wanted to be the best. I saw that firsthand.”
Of the comparison to NBA legend Bryant, Peterson told the Beacon Journal: “That’s a GOAT. He’s one of the best players ever to touch a basketball. To be compared to him is a great feeling. It’s a blessing, but I know I have big shoes to fill into.”
On3.com’s Jamie Shaw said of Peterson: “He has a basketball player’s frame; long arms with broad shoulders. He is a smooth player with the ball in his hands. Comfortable handling in the half and the full court. Peterson can get downhill and touch the paint where he is a crafty finisher at the rim. He also has the explosion to dunk in traffic. The jump shot needs to continue to develop as he is currently a streaky shooter from beyond the arc. Peterson creates offense for himself, already at a high rate. There is more growth and upside to go as he tracks as one of the nation’s top prospects in his class.”
