Darryn Peterson has been named the 2025 Naismith High School Player of the Year.
Peterson is a Kansas recruit who is originally from Canton, Ohio. He played this past season at Prolific Prep in Napa, California.
Peterson is the No. 3 ranked player in the country, according to the USA TODAY 25 in '25 Boys Basketball Recruiting Rankings, behind Utah Prep's AJ Dybantsa and Miami Columbus' Cameron Boozer.
Peterson was the 2023 Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards Boys Basketball Player of the Year, playing for Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. This season at Prolific Prep he averaged 30.4 points, 7.4 assists and 6.8 rebounds this season. Prolific Prep ended 28-5, ranked No. 23 in the USA TODAY Super 25 Boys Basketball rankings.
"It is a blessing to be in this position. It is an unbelievable honor to win the Jersey Mike's Naismith Player of the Year. To know that I have added my name to a list that includes LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and others is quite the feeling," Peterson said in a news release. "My teammates and I put in an extreme amount of work throughout the year, and it would not be possible without them.
"I would like to thank the members of the committee that voted for me, as the five finalists for this award were all deserving. Lastly, big thank you to my parents for believing in me every step of the way. Even if I did not win player of the year, I would still be player of the year to them."
The 2024-25 Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards are June 17 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron. The show is produced with the support of Meijer. Tickets are on sale now.