Inside The Huskies

Elite Guard Darryn Peterson Wows at Camp, Has UW in Mix

The Ohio native has been overly impressive in summertime showcase events.

Dan Raley

Elite recruit Darryn Peterson takes the ball up the court in February.
Elite recruit Darryn Peterson takes the ball up the court in February. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Have to hand it to new University of Washington basketball coach Danny Sprinkle and his staff -- they're not afraid to aim high.

This past week, 6-foot-5 guard Darryn Peterson, an Ohio native considered one of the more elite recruits nationally, revealed that his ever-changing college choices now consist of Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, USC and the UW.

The Huskies?

“They’re another adidas school and I’m an adidas guy right now,” Peterson told On3 of the German footwear company.

It probably doesn't hurt that the UW made everyone in and around college basketball sit up and take notice of its financial possibilities once everyone learned the program's outside fund-raising arm was able to put together a $2 million name, image and likeness package for portal transfer Great Osobor.

At an adidas national exposure camp this past week in Rock Hills, South Carolina, Peterson showed off his wide range of skills and his reviews were over the top. In particular, his 38-point, 11-rebound outing over Indiana Elite had everyone talking about him. On Saturday, he supplied 24- and 33-point games.

"Darryn Peterson. Wow. Wow. Wow," basketball analyst Jeff Goodman wrote on social media. "This kid is an absolute stud. One of the better all-around guards I have seen over the years."

Raised in Canton, Ohio, and finishing up as a high school player at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, Peterson comes from a family of college athletes. His father, Darryl Peterson II, played basketball at the University of Akron in 2001-06 and his older brother, Darryl Peterson III, currently plays football for the University of Wisconsin, starting at linebacker.

For Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Ohoi, this younger Peterson averaged 26.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game as a freshman, and 31 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a sophomore, finishing that season as a finalist for the Ohio Mr. Basketball Award.

He transferred to Huntington Prep for added competition and exposure. Nine alums from that school currently are on NBA rosters.

Peterson hasn't set a date for a UW official visit, but he reportedly will tour USC on Aug. 2. While some might consider the likelihood of him coming to Seattle far-fetched to play what likely will be a brief college basketball career, the guard offered a reason why he might.

"You don’t have to go to the big schools now," he told On3. "You can get to the league from wherever you go.”

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

Published
Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Basketball