photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson goes up for a layup in a 78-72 win over DME Academy in the Grind Session tournament semifinal at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas men’s basketball signee Darryn Peterson was in Lawrence on Saturday with his Prolific Prep team competing in a Grind Session tournament at Haskell Indian Nations University. His team beat DME Academy to advance to the tournament championship on Sunday.

A slew of Kansas basketball fans were in attendance for the game, and outgoing senior Zeke Mayo and Flory Bidunga — who Peterson said after the game is the player he’s most excited to play with at KU next year – were a few of the current Kansas players in attendance. On the sidelines, coach Bill Self sat with longtime assistant coach Kurtis Townsend.

Peterson, a consensus top prospect on various recruiting services, was named the Naismith boys high school player of the year on March 7. The 6-foot-5 combo guard finished with 21 points on 4-for-12 shooting. He shot 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, with two assists and two blocks.

Prolific Prep coach Ryan Bernardi said after the game that they’ve worked on Peterson’s 3-point shooting in his one year there.

“His work ethic has contributed to a lot of his growth in key areas,” Bernardi said. “His 3-point percentage has taken a big jump this year.”

While it wasn’t a particularly strong night shooting the ball, Peterson showed some sparks. He made a nice cut to the basket and finished with a dunk that riled up the crowd late in the third quarter. Less than a minute later, he hit a buzzer-beater 3 from halfcourt.

Peterson finished with four assists but could’ve had several more. For most of the game, Peterson was passive offensively and chose to distribute the ball to teammates. He only had five field goal attempts in the first half with only one make, a 3-pointer. Still, he finished the first half with eight points.

Defensively, Peterson guarded along the wing, where he made his biggest impact with pass deflections, of which he had several. He contested well when he was drawn into the paint and didn’t get called for too many fouls. His biggest defensive plays came as a backside help defender, where he was able to get a hand on the ball for a block or a deflection while the ball handler was starting his shot or holding onto the ball before a pass.

Peterson played all but three minutes of the game as he sat around the eight-and-a-half-minute mark in the second quarter and returned with about five and a-half minutes left on the clock. He remained effective throughout the game and helped secure his team’s win with late free throws, which he made all of on the night.

On Friday, Peterson got a small taste of his future at Kansas as his team practiced at Allen Fieldhouse. He said after the game that he hopes to help Kansas return to its usual levels of winning as a freshman, similar to how Carmelo Anthony won the NCAA Tournament as a freshman at Syracuse.

“That’s a goal of mine,” Peterson said.

Peterson said he’s working on being in “top-tier shape” before arriving at KU and becoming a more vocal leader.

Bernardi said that Peterson’s character separates him from a lot of other players that he’s coached.

“He’s a super high-character kid,” Bernardi said. “He’s very humble — his work ethic is what separates him. And his ability is not bad.”

Peterson and Prolific Prep will be in the Grind Session tournament championship game against Fort Erie Academy at Haskell on Sunday at 5 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson looks to pass in a 78-72 win over DME Academy in the Grind Session tournament semifinal at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson starts to drive toward the rim in a 78-72 win over DME Academy in the Grind Session tournament semifinal at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Kansas coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend watch on the sidelines as Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson plays at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson stops to shoot in a 78-72 win over DME Academy in the Grind Session tournament semifinal at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Prolific Prep guard and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson directs traffic in a 78-72 win over DME Academy in the Grind Session tournament semifinal at Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lawrence.