There are a couple of hardwood recollections which are engraved into the psyche of Darryn Peterson. Stephen Curry’s illustrious 54-point Grasp Class in Madison Sq. Backyard, test. LeBron James’ chase-down block on Andre Iguodala is in there for certain. Kobe Bryant’s final sport in opposition to the Jazz is automated. Nevertheless it was watching Kyrie Irving’s notorious step-back within the 2016 NBA Finals whereas on a cruise together with his household that had the now 17-year-old phenom saying, “I’ve gotta get there.”
Darryn Peterson’s sport is much more polished than you’re typical top-ranked excessive schooler. The No. 3 participant within the Class of 2025 is a pure three-level scorer. Go test in with the adidas 3SSB, the dudes out on the NBPA Prime 100 Camp and his teammates at Huntington Prep. They’ll inform you what’s good.
With affords from North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and Baylor–simply to call a couple of of the heavy hitters–there’s a cause that Peterson is extensively considered some of the heralded recruits in his class.
However earlier than he gained Gold with Workforce USA on the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship and was dropping buckets in entrance of James Harden out in Italy this previous June, Darryn Peterson’s connection to the sport was fostered within the yard of his residence in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Basketballs wrapped in plastic baggage, cones strewn about, a basketball hoop anchored by liquid cement and a well-used agility ladder; Darryn Peterson and his pops would prepare for hours outdoors rising up.
“That’s the place it began,” Darryn says. “The stuff he was saying began to make sense. Trigger you recognize, you are feeling like your Dad is simply gettin’ on you and stuff, you don’t at all times need to perceive it. However after some time, I began understanding what he was saying. I began to see it in video games and stuff.”
Darryn’s Dad, former Akron guard Darryl Peterson II, had been invested in serving to his son understand his desires since day one. And as an enormous Kobe fan, Darryl shared the identical meticulous seek for ambidextrous perfection. For so long as he can bear in mind, Darryn’s been laying the ball off the glass together with his proper and left whereas ending by way of contact. Now, he’s within the fitness center three to 4 instances every week, wadding by way of swimming pools in defensive slides and operating hills.
“Focus has been the primary factor for me since I used to be a youngin,” Darryn says on what he’s realized from his Dad. “If you discover one thing that you simply wanna get good at, you gotta actually purchase in and also you gotta sacrifice. That’s the primary factor. You gotta sacrifice, hanging out with your mates and staying up all evening enjoying the sport. [There’s] sure belongings you gotta sacrifice in the event you wanna be nice at one thing.”
Nice doesn’t even start to place issues into perspective.
The 6’5 consensus five-star recruit performs the sport with an easy finesse. One dribble pull-ups within the midrange, bottoms. Tomahawks in transition are paired with the smoothest of size-ups. Hop steps by way of the lane, submit fades and sidestep treys; regardless of the place he stands, the ball at all times appears to seek out the online. He’s been touted as the perfect scorer within the nation, however that perception wasn’t at all times so widespread.
“The knock was, ‘he’s getting 30 in opposition to guys that aren’t actually good,” Darryn says.
In his sophomore 12 months at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Peterson was posting 31 factors, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists an evening. However he yearned for one thing extra. He needed to be surrounded by and play in opposition to like-minded gamers who shared in his aspirations of the League. He needed to be pushed. He needed to play the perfect. So he transferred to Huntington Prep.
“I simply needed to have the ability to go to a college the place I used to be enjoying in opposition to competitors and showcase that I used to be actually like that. That was one thing I needed to point out, that I may go play in opposition to prime guys,” Darryn tells SLAM. “I simply needed to play in opposition to those who have been gonna make it onerous for me each evening.”
Regardless of coping with a nagging harm all through the season, Darryn proved that these 30 items weren’t reserved for his hometown, anyone within the US of A may get it. He dropped 31, 10 boards and 7 assists in opposition to the Kentucky Christian Knights to open the season in November. Then he went face to face with Jalil Bethea and Archbishop Wooden and hung one other 31-point efficiency to go together with 4 steals and three blocks.
As Darryn poured it in from throughout the states, he was eyeing his ultimate eight main Division 1 applications. However by the midst of the spring AAU circuit, he determined to open up his recruitment again up. In late April, he let all people know that it was open season.
Whereas an inflow of extra coaches started inquiring, Darryn was placing his sport on worldwide discover. After averaging 16.8 factors, 3.8 rebounds and three.7 assists per sport with the USAB Junior Nationwide Workforce in 2023, Darryn was lighting Italy up on the adidas Eurocamp. That first week of June abroad served as one other measuring stick because the combo guard performed alongside and in opposition to fellow five-star hoopers in his class and walked away from the week with first-team honors.
“Now I really feel like I gotta outwork all people. I felt like that already, however now I’m taking it to an excessive,” Darryn tells SLAM. “Each day, I’m enjoying prefer it’s my final each time I’m on the court docket. So simply, how onerous I’m going each day. I’m simply tryna prepare for faculty and the NBA.”
Now again on the grind of the summer season circuit, Darryn says he’s been making the push in the direction of enjoying on the level guard place after listening to from quite a few NBA scouts and school coaches that “on-ball might be the place I may have essentially the most success at enjoying within the NBA on the subsequent stage.” At 6’5 with an otherworldly athleticism that solely simply surfaced a couple of years in the past–in his phrases– he’s been leaning on those self same yard drills together with his pops as he brings the ball up court docket and initiates the offense extra ceaselessly.
He’s not the one one who’s realized his potential because the orchestrator of the offense. Former Sixth Man of the 12 months and NBA Champion Jason Terry acknowledged it too.
Because the coach of his crew out at Eurocamp, The Jet was giving Darryn as a lot reps on the level as potential. At instances, he thought Darryn was being too passive because the five-star guard labored by way of the steadiness of setting others up whereas getting his. Simply because he was operating the purpose, didn’t imply he couldn’t be a scoring level guard, Terry instructed him.
When Darryn ultimately makes his collegiate choice, that fortunate program will probably be getting one of many hungriest employees in his class. With the scoring on lock and a rising bag because the facilitator, it’s the defensive facet of the ball the place Darryn is aware of he’ll make his mark. Put all three collectively and also you’ve bought a surefire lock for the League.
“I’d say only a nice man, on and off the court docket. I wanna see all people eat,” Darryn tells SLAM. “There’s going to be nights the place I most likely gained’t be the perfect participant on the court docket. I’m keen to not get any factors and do all the things I can to win. That’s my sort of man. Off-court, I’m a scholar first. So, they gained’t have to fret about that, and [I’m] only a winner. In order that’s a giant factor for me that we get a winner, a tough employee and any person that’s keen to do something to get higher and win.”
Portraits by Christian Quezada.
