As one of the best and most recognizable players in high school sports, Darryn Peterson is no stranger to a hectic travel schedule.
“It’s almost normal,” said Peterson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who is committed to Kansas Jayhawks. “That stuff all comes with it.”
Be that as it may, even Peterson conceded that the last 48 hours may very well have been the most chaotic of his career.
On Tuesday, he posted 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists to help the West knock off the East at the McDonald’s All American Game in Brooklyn, before getting little to no sleep and hopping on a plane to Indiana to compete for the Chipotle Nationals title.
On Thursday, he took a big step toward accomplishing that goal, pouring in 28 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out eight assists to lead Prolific Prep (Calif.) past Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), 81-80, in overtime in the quarterfinals.
“It’s been pretty crazy over the last couple of days,” said Peterson, who checks in at No. 2 overall in the ESPN 100 for the class of 2025. “McDonald’s was nonstop just with intense practices and a lot of different things they had us doing then I came straight here and had practice. I tried to sleep the rest of the day to be ready for today. I usually have at least some time to rest in between, but it’s just been nonstop.”
Peterson isn’t complaining — not only is he acutely aware that this comes with the territory for a player of his caliber, he also loves the process.
In 2023, Peterson became the first high school athlete to sign an NIL deal with adidas. It seems spot on for a prospect who ESPN predicts to be the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick in 2026.
“I just love the game, everything about it,” Peterson said. “I just focus on the task at hand. I don’t think about anything but what I’m doing right now. I don’t think about next year or the future or anything like that. I was only focused on this game today.”
The tunnel vision certainly helped at the end of regulation when Peterson got the ball down one with 13 seconds remaining.
To that point he’d gone 0-of-6 from the 3-point line, but as the seconds ticked away Peterson drained a contested three from NBA range to put the Crew ahead.
“My coaches joked to me that that was the only three I made all game,” Peterson said with a laugh. “But I wouldn’t even know that because I shot it like I’ve been making them all night. That’s the thing for me. This game requires extreme focus. It’s been a crazy week and crazy couple of days. But I don’t want to lose so I’m putting everything in to winning Chipotle Nationals.”
