Kansas, K-State hoops target Darryn Peterson switches high schools for senior year

Darryn Peterson, the consensus No. 3-ranked player in the recruiting class of 2025 who is considering Kansas, K-State and six other colleges, will play his final year of high school basketball at Prolific Prep.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound combo guard announced plans to leave Huntington Prep in West Virginia for the Napa, California program via social media site X.

Peterson chose Prolific Prep over Overtime Elite, a basketball league for 16- to-20-year-olds that’s located in Atlanta. Athletes have the option of accepting a scholarship instead of a salary at OE in order to retain collegiate eligibility.

Peterson has cut his list of prospective colleges to KU, K-State, Ohio State, Kentucky, Louisville, USC, Washington and Arizona State.

A native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Peterson is ranked No. 3 in the recruiting class of 2025 according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com and 247sports.com.

He has already visited KU, USC and Kentucky. He is slated to travel to Ohio State on Aug. 30.

He said he’ll visit K-State sometime this month, Arizona State and Washington in September and Louisville and Kentucky in October. He first visited Lawrence when he was in eighth grade and made an official visit to KU in June.

At one point the Phenom United of Ohio AAU player also considered Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

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.”

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 sophomore seasons before moving to Huntington Prep for his junior year.

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 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 can use his left. He can use his right. He’s got the pull-up jumper. He’s got the 3. He’s got the post up. He has everything. In order to have the skillset 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,” Mitchell added.

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: “Darryn Peterson 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.”