He hasn’t played a minute of college basketball yet, but Canton native Darryn Peterson is having expectations foisted upon him from practically every direction.
NBA draft analysts have projected him to be a top three pick in the 2026 talent derby after a potential one-and-done season for the Kansas Jayhawks.
It’s probably the most hype a local athlete has received since LeBron James left St. Vincent-St. Mary High School for the NBA.
Now another goal may be set before Peterson, courtesy of sports journalist and basketball guru Bill Simmons as he and broadcaster Zach Lowe picked the 2028 Team USA Olympic basketball. Yes, it’s far too early, but what the heck.
They had a set of criteria, including no James, among others, and no one older than 30. But why not fill the roster with another native from the area? That person: Peterson.
Simmons put him in his young-and-hungry category where the players may be on the roster, but perhaps may not see a lot of action.
“Just from all accounts, he’s Kobe [Bryant] prototype, a 6-5 [Devin] Booker, guard with size, does everything, plays both ends,” Simmons continued. “And I think he gets the [Anthony] Edwards spot in 2028 because if you had said in 2020 Anthony Edwards would be on the 2024 Olympic team, you would have been like, ‘What? That’s crazy. That seems really fast. Why would he?’”
Simmons noted that Peterson is the type of player they like to add not for value in the present, but potential value in the future. In 2028, Peterson would be 21-years-old, but in 2032 he would be 25 and potentially be entering the prime of his career.
Peterson played high school basketball at CVCA for his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“I think that’s going to be the guy. Because everyone is like, ‘This guy absolutely has it, is the best 2-guard we have produced at least since Edwards and maybe even better than Edwards.’ It just seems like the kind of guy they would put on, because four years from now, they want him to be one of the leaders on the team. So that’s my last pick.”
Duo considered Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley for the Olympic roster
For the record, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell initially made the cut also, but the duo realized that including him would violate their under-30 rule. They did, however, include Cavs forward Evan Mobley, who will still be a relative pup at 28 years old when the Olympics start in 2028.
When are the 2028 Summer Olympics?
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin on Friday, July 14, 2028 and conclude on Sunday, July 30, 2028. This will be the first time the Summer Games return to the United States since Atlanta hosted in 1996.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Canton native Darryn Peterson be a member of the 2028 Olympic basketball team?
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
