Canton native Darryn Peterson will begin the next chapter of his basketball journey with the Utah Jazz.
On Tuesday, June 23, the Jazz picked Peterson at No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft after he spent his lone season of college basketball at Kansas.
The 19-year-old Peterson was chosen early in the first round 23 years after the Cavaliers drafted another Northeast Ohio native, Akron’s LeBron James, first overall out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003.
A former Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy guard, Peterson made his desire to become the top pick known, but the Washington Wizards instead selected forward AJ Dybantsa first overall out of BYU. Peterson went off the board with the next pick.
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Darryn Peterson’s high school career began in Akron area
Peterson spent the first two years of his high school basketball career playing at CVCA. He surpassed 1,000 career points while at CVCA, helping the Royals win a PAC-7 title and reach the regional tournament.
Peterson transferred to Huntington Prep in West Virginia for his junior year before playing at Prolific Prep in California’s Napa Valley during his senior season.
Darryn Peterson’s first high school coach predicts ‘instant impact’ in NBA
At CVCA, Peterson played under coach Matt Futch. Futch is a former Akron Buchtel High School basketball standout who attended the 2003 NBA Draft to witness the Cavaliers choose his friend and Akron native LeBron James first overall. Futch is also attending the 2026 NBA Draft. In addition to coaching Peterson, Futch and Peterson’s father, Darryl Peterson II, were teammates on the University of Akron men’s basketball team.
Futch said he’s confident Peterson “is going to be an instant impact” on his NBA team. Click here to read more on Peterson’s background and Futch’s thoughts on a player he knows very well.
Darryn Peterson high school stats
In Peterson’s final season at CVCA in 2022-23, he averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists. He was a sophomore then.
In Peterson’s final high school season, in 2024-25 at Prolific Prep, he averaged 30.4 points on 52% shooting from the field (44% on 3-pointers), 7.4 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
Darryn Peterson’s USA basketball stats
Following Peterson’s sophomore season at CVCA and before his lone season at Huntington Prep, he won a gold medal with the U.S. Men’s U16 National Team. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.3 steals in six tournament games, helping Team USA win the 2023 FIBA Men’s U16 Americas Championship.
Darryn Peterson stats at Kansas
This past season as a freshman at Kansas, Peterson averaged 20.2 points on 43.8% shooting from the field (38.2% on 3-pointers), 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 29 minutes. He received an honorable mention in voting for the Associated Press All-America team.
Darryn Peterson’s brother is in NFL with Los Angeles Rams
Peterson’s older brother, Darryl Peterson III, excelled on the football field at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron and then at Wisconsin. In April, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free-agent outside linebacker.
Why did Darryn Peterson miss games at Kansas?
Peterson appeared in 24 of Kansas’ 35 games in the 2025-26 season. In addition to missing 11 games, he exited several others early.
In May, Peterson told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne his availability issues at Kansas stemmed from debilitating cramping, which he said doctors concluded through testing was the result of high doses of creatine he had consumed.
Darryn Peterson height, weight
Peterson measured 6 feet, 4½ inches without shoes and weighed 199 pounds in May at the NBA Draft Combine.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Canton’s Darryn Peterson picked No. 2 overall by Jazz in NBA draft
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
