5-Star Darryn Peterson's Father: 'Kentucky was Always Darryn’s Dream School'

With Kentucky shifting its sights on the 2025 class, five-star guard Darryn Peterson is becoming one of UK’s priority targets. He’s set to take his official visit to Kentucky in the fall as he works to transition to becoming a point guard.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Huntington Prep (WV) took an official visit to Kansas from June 21-23. He has set an official visit to Ohio State for August 1. Now, he’s in the process of setting official visits to Kentucky, Louisville, USC, and Washington.

KSR+ caught up with Darryn’s father, Darryl Peterson, for an interview to discuss the latest in his recruitment, his relationship with Mark Pope and Kentucky, and Darryn’s transition to point guard.

“It actually seems like [a decision] is going to be sped up,” Darryl said. “I was more thinking let’s take our time and it’s not about rushing it. This is a huge decision, so I want to find the right fit. Now, after talking to Darryn and our family, we’re trying to get these visits tackled down soon because it seems like Darryn wants to commit sooner rather than later, actually.”

Kentucky Starting to Ramp Up Recruiting Efforts

When Mark Pope was first hired as the head coach at Kentucky, his sights were on building a 2024-25 roster, mainly comprised of transfers. Now, with the roster basically completed (and in search of a 13th player), UK has shifted its focus to the 2025 class.

“They’ve got us excited about Kentucky basketball,” Darryl said. “He’s excited about Kentucky. It’s about the tradition and platform of Kentucky. We’re excited about Kentucky. We understand how excited Kentucky is about its athletes and the new Kentucky. That’s definitely one of the top schools we’re considering.”

Pope reached out to Darryl to see where the Petersons were at with the recruiting process and if they could jump into the recruitment. Darryl said the excitement is still there.

“Kentucky was always Darryn’s dream school,” he said. “He didn’t know the coach at that point. I was making the point that it doesn’t matter who’s in the seat. It’s more about Kentucky and the tradition. Watching those guys growing up as a kid with Kentucky being so dominant, it’s always been a dream school for Darryn. For him to reach back out and start putting a focus on high school guys and back on Darryn was pretty exciting.”

Darryl said the Kentucky visit will take place in late August or September. One important piece of Peterson’s recruitment is that he is set on playing point guard at the college level. It’s something that Kentucky understands and embraces.

“They see Darryn as a point guard there with the ball in his hands, off the screen, creating for himself and others,” Peterson said. “It’s a great fit. If he’s bringing that same system over, it’s going to be an exciting year for those guys. It’s an exciting style of play that fits Darryn well.”

‘Pretty Set on 2025’

With Kentucky still having one scholarship remaining for the 2024-25 roster and Darryn Peterson having a path to reclassify, questions have surfaced about his potential in the 2024 class. However, Darryl Peterson shot that down quickly.

“We’re pretty set on 2025 at this point,” he said.

That gives the family time to evaluate their options, take fall official visits, and make an informed decision. With a full year until college, Peterson will also be able to continue his transition to being a point guard.

“He’s working with more point guards and starting to get an understanding of different reads and things like that,” Darryl said. “He’s transitioning and rewiring from a person who has to get buckets and carry a team scoring-wise to that guy who can get buckets and make sure everyone else is getting theirs as well.”

A Recent Kansas Visit

Darryn Peterson has already started his official visit tour. That was kicked off earlier this month with his recent trip to Kansas.

“I played college basketball myself and the furthest I ever went was the NIT,” Darryl said. “Playing in March Madness and winning a national championship is super important to Darryn.”

The Hall-of-Fame pedigree of Kansas head coach Bill Self has been a selling point. That’s especially the case with his track record in the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament.

“Darryn wants to not only win a national championship but be the No. 1 pick,” Darryl said. “We feel like a place like Kansas, which has guys that have done it before and have gone deep into the tournament. March Madness is bigger than the NBA Finals just as far as the following. It’s exciting to see their tradition and the way they really believe in Darryn.”

Darryl also pointed toward the honesty and transparency of the Kansas staff as a factor. He’s not just telling them what they want to hear. With a coach like Coach Self, who is a Hall-of-Famer, “he has no reason” to lie about his role.

“With their belief, system, and tradition, it was a great experience,” Darryl said.

Factors in a Decision

Darryn Peterson will have a lot to take in on an upcoming visit to Kentucky. Darryn and his family will be looking at the environment, coaches, and players.

“One thing about Darryn is that he likes to go [into the gym] at 12 o’clock at night,” Darryl said. “He always says, ‘It’s eight o’clock somewhere.’ He wants to be able to play at all times and have access to the facilities.”

The family also wants to talk to the student managers on the visit. That’s where they’ll learn a lot about the program.

“That’s important because a lot of people think that managers are at the bottom of the totem pole,” Darryl said. “The managers do all the work and tell the truth, as far as interactions with the guys, how the players treat them, and how the coaches treat them.”

The “bells and whistles” don’t matter as much to Darryn and his family on the visits. Most schools have similar facilities, Darryl said.

“At least in Darryn’s situation, all the schools have the same nice gyms, nice facilities, and hall-of-fame coaches,” he said. “Every school has that at this point. Now, it’s just the little things: the environment, style of play, and belief they have in Darryn.”

The last two factors are playing Darryn as a point guard and having a chance to win a national title. Those are perhaps the biggest factors.

“We want those coaches saying, hey, we want Darryn as a point guard and we’re going to put the ball in his hands,” Darryl said. “The main thing is believing in Darryn and giving him an opportunity to be who he is.”

Darryn Peterson’s Game

Five-star guard Darryn Peterson of Huntington Prep (WV) is the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media services. On3 ranks Peterson as the No. 4 player overall, the No. 1-ranked shooting guard, and the No. 1 player in West Virginia.

Peterson has earned the nickname “Bucket Jones” due to his innate ability to score the basketball, but there are other key strengths in his game. One of those is his pace.

“He’s never sped up and he can’t be sped up,” Darryl said. “Everyone comes into the game saying they’re going to speed him up and they just can’t.”

Then there’s his efficiency. Darryl said that Darryn was “the most efficient player” at the recent USA Basketball Junior National Team U17 Training Camp in Colorado Springs.

“He’s not only the number one shooting guard, but he wants to guard the best player on the other team,” Darryl said. “Just those NBA guys see him as a two-way player in an NBA lens, who can guard one through four. It’s pretty exciting.”

While it’s clear Peterson can score the basketball, his unselfishness has been something that’s separated him from others in the 2025 class. It’s allowed him to become a player others look to join forces with.

“It’s amazing how other stars and other top guys want to play with him because he doesn’t need eight or nine dribbles for his shot,” Darryl said. “He doesn’t have to take bad shots. He’s efficient, effective, and gets to his spots.”