6 days ago
‘He's just different': KU freshman Darryn Peterson already has teammate's attention
Prolific Prep guard Darryn Peterson (24) dribbles the ball as he sets up a move in the second half of the Grind Session High School Basketball World Championships against DME Academy at Coffin Sports Complex on Saturday, March 22, 2025 in Lawrence, Kansas.
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson hasn't been in Lawrence long, but he's already had a memorable first practice.
His current favorite teammate is newcomer and Loyola-Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson.
'Me and Jayden Dawson were killing it yesterday in the three-on-three and four-on-four,' Peterson said.
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The former five-star recruit, nicknamed 'Bucket Jones' by his father, Darryl, has already made quite an impression on his teammates and coach Bill Self.
Self called Peterson a 'generational talent' Monday. Dawson didn't quite say that, but the word generational was also thrown around.
'He's just different,' Dawson told The Star about Peterson. 'He's just one of those generational athletes that you don't really come across. It's just special. You can just see it based on his talent alone. This summer alone, he's going to grow so much. Just the talent alone — not too many players you can see that's as good as him.'
Dawson has NBA dreams; it's one of the reasons why he picked the Jayhawks. Peterson will certainly command plenty of NBA attention as a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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'DP being the projected number one pick, that's just going to put eyes on me,' Dawson said. 'Bringing NBA scouts and NBA GMs every day for practices and games is exactly what I need for me to get where I want to get to.'
That synergy between Dawson and Peterson will be pivotal for the Jayhawks. Dawson is the only player currently on KU's roster who shot above 35% from 3 last season. He averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists a game last season for the Ramblers.
Dawson will compete for one of the starting roles alongside Peterson.
'It felt good just being able to be on his side, being his teammate, watching what he can do, which is crazy,' Dawson said. ' I think we complement each other's game really, really well. Being able to shoot the ball as well as we can, I think it just opens up the floor for us so much.
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'We already have that connection a little bit finding each other. I think it's going to be really special.'
Finding the right running mates alongside Peterson has been work in progress for Self and his staff.
Multiple players who were linked to KU through the transfer portal told The Star that Peterson recruited them, and Self discussed their fit alongside Peterson.
Dawson was no different. He's known about the former five-star recruit for a while. Dawson recalled seeing the battles between Peterson and BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa at the high school level.
Peterson and Dybantsa were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the class of 2025 by 247Sports. Dawson also got to see a young Peterson firsthand at a basketball camp and came away impressed with his ability to get buckets.
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As for what KU fans and his teammates can expect from Dawson?
'I'm just going to be that guy that's going to do whatever is asked of him,' Dawson said. 'If I gotta dive on a loose ball, I'll dive on it. If I (have) to hit an open 3 and sit in the corner (I'll do it.) If I (have) to guard the best player, I'll do whatever is asked of me.
'Knowing I'm that vet – I'm one of the vets on the team — I'll do whatever is asked of me.'
