On Friday, it was a much-anticipated day for the Kansas basketball program’s future when it comes to continued dominance. This is due to 5-star prospect, Darryn Peterson, announcing his decision on which school he will represent next year. It was predicted that Peterson would select KU, but Ohio State, Kansas State, and USC were options as well.
Luckily for Kansas fans, Peterson decided not to stay in the state of Ohio where he grew up and opted for the Jayhawks over the Buckeyes:
Five-star Darryn Peterson – the top-ranked guard in the 2025 class – has committed to play for the University of Kansas, sources tell ESPN. Peterson is projected to be a candidate for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. pic.twitter.com/VLYOvb5kHn
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 2, 2024
The 6-foot-5 guard is the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2025 class and the highest-ranked recruit that Kansas will bring into the program since No. 2 ranked Josh Jackson back in 2016. He is ranked behind only SF A.J. Dybantsa and PF Cameron Boozer for his graduating year and is the consensus best incoming guard.
Peterson will be finishing up his senior year of high school at Prolific Prep, which is also the same high school that Josh Jackson attended, funnily enough. With Dajuan Harris and Zeke Mayo both graduating this year, there should be a nice pathway for Peterson to thrive when he is wearing rrimson and blue.
Darryn Peterson is nicknamed “Bucket Jones” and it perfectly represents his game
The nickname “Bucket Jones” came about while Peterson was younger and playing AAU ball, due to his innate ability and single-minded drive to get buckets. It was actually his father who actually gave him the nickname, but fear not Jayhawk fans. Peterson’s game has developed far past just scoring the basketball.
Peterson is a near-90% free throw shooter, so while his 3-pointer is not yet a consistent strength for him, his shooting mechanics look smooth and professional-caliber already. His understanding of how to get into favorable spots on the court allows him to be an efficient scorer in addition to being a volume scorer.
Scoring-ability aside, he also has an NBA-player frame already at 17 years old, which is why he is projected as the potential No. 1 pick in 2026. He is 6-foot-5 but also has an insane 6-foot-10 wingspan and might not even be done growing. From a measurement standpoint, he is similar to Anthony Edwards (6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan) and Dejounte Murray (6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan).
His size for a guard allows him to be a high-level secondary rebounder (7.4 per game) while being disruptive defensively as well, averaging 3.4 steals and blocks per game. If Peterson can be as good as advertised next season, Kansas basketball will find themselves towards the top of power rankings yet again and the Jayhawks won’t miss a beat following the Harris era.