Darryn Peterson
Darryn Peterson is an American college basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference.
Early life and high school career
Peterson was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. His father, Darryl Peterson II, played basketball at Western Hills High School in Cincinnati from 1997 to 2001 and at the University of Akron from 2001 to 2006. His older brother, Darryl Peterson III, won multiple state football titles at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron before playing at the University of Wisconsin.Peterson attended Hartford Middle School in Canton. He enrolled at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy over nearby Canton [McKinley High School] due to academic reasons. Additionally, CVCA head basketball coach Matt Futch was teammates with his father at Akron.
As a freshman, Peterson averaged 26.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, leading his team to a 16–8 record and an appearance in the OHSAA Division II district title game. He was the only freshman named to the All-Ohio Division II first team despite missing the start of the season due to a foot injury. As a sophomore, Peterson averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists per game, leading CVCA to an 18–7 record and their second straight appearance in the OHSAA Division II district title game. Aside from earning first-team All-Ohio Division II honors for the second year in a row, he was named the Division II Northeast Inland District Player of the Year and a finalist for the Ohio Mr. Basketball award.
On August 2, 2023, Peterson announced he was transferring to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia.
On August 12, 2024, Peterson announced he was transferring to Prolific Prep in Napa, California for his senior season. Peterson was named a McDonald's All-American after averaging 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Recruiting
Peterson is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 class, according to major recruiting services. He received his first offers from St. John's [Red Storm men's basketball|St. John's] and Xavier when he was still in the eighth grade.In September 2024, Peterson narrowed a previous list of eight choices down to Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State and USC. On November 1, 2024, he committed to playing college basketball at Kansas. Kansas coach Bill Self said "Darryn's the best player we've recruited since we've been here. He's a special talent."