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In the latest ESPN rankings published a week ago, Darryn Peterson was ranked at the top, dethroning the BYU Cougars signee AJ Dybantsa. Peterson, who will join the Kansas Jayhawks after an impressive season with Prolific Prep, will also feature in the 2025 Iverson Classic on May 3.
NBA Player Development Coach, who goes by the Instagram username 'doriangroup82,' talked about the 6-foot-5 shooting guard and drew comparisons with the five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant.
"You are someone, Darryn, who reminds me of Kobe Bryant," Dorian said. "I'm not talking 24 Mamba, I'm talking about the young eight Mamba. You do not have the back-to-the-basket game, because the game that Kobe grew up watching, the Michael Jordan game, was very post-oriented.
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"The game of today is very face-up oriented, but you move like Kobe. You take tough shots like Kobe, hit tough shots like Kobe. When you're locked in defensively, you defend at a high level like Kobe did. And there are some of Kobe's weaknesses that you also have."
Fans shared their mixed reactions in the comment section as the NBA Player Development Coach compared Peterson with Bryant:
"Closest thing to Kobe? Pretty bold statement." commented a fan.
Another fan commented, "I think players in this era choreograph their moves a lot more than the Kobe era. I think that’s a product of more individualized training vs playing more pickup ball."
"I said the same thing when I saw that All American game. This kid has the Kobe attributes and mentality. He's a dawg fr." a fan commented.
A fan added, "I haven’t watched and I definitely will but Kobe wow I’m going to really tune in to this film study."
A fan commented, "Kobe-esque at hoops summit.''
"Darryn does play like Kobe a little but doesn’t have his athleticism but he’s still an awesome prospect great breakdown though." commented another fan.
Darryn Peterson finishes as highest scorer in the 2025 McDonald's All-American Game
Darryn Peterson was accompanied by AJ Dybantsa, Arizona Wildcats signee Brayden Burries, USC Trojans signee Alijah Arenas and more top prospects, as they led Team West to a 105-92 win on Apr. 2.
Peterson finished with a game-high 18 points on 50.0% shooting, including 1-for-6 from behind the 3-point line. He also converted 3-of-4 of his shots from the charity stripe. Furthermore, he grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and stole the ball thrice in 18 minutes.
Peterson will be accompanied by Samis Calderon at the Jayhawks next season.
