"Top 5 for sure": Hoops fans share their reactions to where Darryn Peterson ranks among the last 10 Naismith HS POY winners ft. Cooper Flagg

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JAN 19 Spalding Hoophall Classic - Highland School vs Prolific Prep - Source: Getty
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JAN 19 Spalding Hoophall Classic - Highland School vs Prolific Prep - Source: Getty

Darryn Peterson, the Kansas Jayhawks signee and the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2025, was awarded the 2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club for his performances at Prolific Prep.

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On Tuesday, the basketball page "League Ready" on Instagram posted a list of the Naismith Player of the Year winners from the last 10 years, featuring some big names, including Duke's Cooper Flagg, three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and one-time NBA All-Star Cade Cunningham, among others.

"Where does Darryn Peterson rank amongst the last 10 years of Naismith player of the year winners? 👀🤩," the post's caption read.
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Hoops fans took their opinions to the comments section:

Hoops fans share their reactions to where Darryn Peterson ranks among the last 10 Naismith POY winners ft. Cooper Flagg
Hoops fans share their reactions to where Darryn Peterson ranks among the last 10 Naismith POY winners ft. Cooper Flagg
"Top 5 for sure…..hard to put him ahead of Chet, Coop and Cade….but he has a chance to be better than all 3," a fan commented.
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"Hard to rank but imo Peterson will be a better player than Simmons, Barrett and holmgren. I'm not gonna rank him above or below cus what he brings to the team is something you can't measure. he's great on defense and on attack," another posted.
"I can see atleast 5 players here who aren't better than Peterson. I don't think yall realise Petersons shooting ability and the way he sets the pace of his game against the opponent. it's so underrated, come back to this comment when he makes it to the league and you'll see," commented a fan.
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Others compared 6-foot-5 Peterson's game with NBA players:

Hoops fans share their reactions to where Darryn Peterson ranks among the last 10 Naismith POY winners ft. Cooper Flagg
Hoops fans share their reactions to where Darryn Peterson ranks among the last 10 Naismith POY winners ft. Cooper Flagg
"Really reminds me of Donovan Mitchell tbh," this fan claimed that Peterson reminded them of six-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell
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"Got some Oladipo in his game," another wrote.
"Well deserved!" a fan congratulated Darryn Peterson for winning the award.

While Peterson has had plenty of phenomenal performances for Prolific Prep, he led his team to back-to-back wins against No. 1 prospect AJ Dybantsa's Utah Prep. In the matchup on Dec. 8, Peterson recorded a double-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The guard also scored a game-high 58 points in the tight 88-86 Grind Session win against Utah Prep. He also dished out five assists, grabbed seven boards and stole the ball thrice.

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In his senior year at Prolific Prep, Darryn Peterson is averaging 30.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.


Darryn Peterson talks about choosing Kansas

Peterson received offers from 33 programs across the nation, including Ohio State, Kentucky, USC and more. He ultimately signed for Bill Self's Jayhawks on Nov. 1 and spoke to On3 about his decision:

"This was a very hard decision. Ultimately, it was the coaching of Bill Self and the culture of their program. My heart and gut were with Kansas. I will have the opportunity to play right away as a freshman, prepare for the draft and be dialed into winning. I won't look back or ahead. I will be dialed in when I am there."

Peterson will be accompanied by Samis Calderon at Kansas next season.

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Edited by R. Elahi
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