Darryn Peterson of CVCA selected to USA Basketball U16 Men's National Team
Darryn Peterson possessed plenty of fuel entering a recent seven-day training camp with USA Basketball in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the CVCA star capitalized on the motivational factors at play.
The Jan. 4 death of Peterson's paternal grandmother, Yvette Peterson, and the memory of falling short of securing a roster spot last year with the U.S. Men's U17 National Team drove him.
All of it culminated Thursday with USA Basketball announcing Peterson had made the Men’s U16 National Team.
“Darryn tried out for the 17U and didn't make it last year and felt like he should have,” Darryl Peterson II, Darryn's father and a CVCA assistant basketball coach, said by phone after returning home from Colorado.
“He took it personal. This year coming in, he said, 'It's 11 [roster] spots, dad.' I said, 'No, they're taking 12.' And he said, 'It's 11 spots.' So he kind of came up there with the mentality that he was going to be one of the guys.”
A soon-to-be junior, Peterson could not immediately be reached for comment while he remained in Colorado with USA Basketball.
With scholarship offers from Syracuse, St. John's, Auburn, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Xavier, Indiana, LSU and West Virginia, among many others, Peterson was identified as a special talent long ago. He is one of the top high school hoops players in the nation — ranked fifth by ESPN in the 2025 recruiting class.
Brothers aiming for NFL and NBA: Darryl and Darryn Peterson push each other with dreams of ascending to professional level
Still, Darryl Peterson II conceded his son's evolution has been “night and day” since 2022.
“I just think the sense of urgency has kicked in more with the passing of my mother,” Darryl Peterson II said. “He basically even said this is for her once he found out he made the team.
“Not taking anything for granted, you can be here today, gone tomorrow, just humility, being humble, all of that stuff kind of just went to an all-time high with my mother [passing away]. His approach is more professional. He's maturing — mind, body and spirit. I think he's just maturing and growing up, and it's just exciting to see the transformation.”
Peterson finished third in Ohio Mr. Basketball voting this past March after averaging roughly 32 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in the regular season of his sophomore year.
With CVCA, Peterson has played whichever position would help the Royals in each specific matchup. What helped him garner several accolades during USA Basketball's training camp and ultimately earn a roster spot with the national team, his father said, is a focus on point guard.
“They put the ball in his hands as a point guard, and that's what kind of changed the whole dynamic,” Darryl Peterson II said. “That's what kind of just took him to another level. Just kind of hearing from NBA personnel and scouts and different scouting agencies, they like him at a point guard. He's coming off screens, he's creating for other guys and getting points.
“That took his stock to the next level. I think now that kind of puts pressure on guys because now we're hearing No. 1 in the country talk. We're hearing top three now. I think that was the significance, seeing that he can guard 1, 2, 3, 4, play every position.”
With a nod to Peterson's performance in training camp, the USA Basketball staff assigned him No. 9, a jersey number worn in the Olympics by an impressive collection of players headlined by LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
“They give guys numbers according to just the energy and the vibe,” Darryl Peterson II said. “He didn't ask for that number. When they gave him that number and he saw the guys who had that number, it was kind of awesome.”
Darryn Peterson and LeBron James: The Chosen One II? CVCA's Darryn Peterson is drawing comparisons to the NBA's scoring king
Peterson and his teammates on the 12-member national team roster, which was selected from 18 finalists, will compete at the 2023 FIBA Men’s U16 Americas Championship from June 5-11 in Merida, Mexico.
The tournament features eight teams from the FIBA Americas zone, and the top four will advance to the 2024 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup in Turkey. The U.S. is 37-0 in the competition and has won seven consecutive gold medals.
Sam Mitchell guides Darryn Peterson: The next Kobe Bryant? CVCA basketball star compared to late Los Angeles Lakers icon by former NBA coach
In other words, Peterson has reached the international stage.
“This year, I think he made some national attention,” Darryl Peterson II said, “but now I think this just takes it to a global thing.”
Cavs got Akron native LeBron James: Austin Carr and Gordon Gund reflect on Cleveland winning NBA Draft Lottery 20 years ago
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: USA Basketball selects CVCA star to U16 Men's National Team
