Darryn Peterson left Northeast Ohio near the end of May and came back this week with a gold medal.
The Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy junior began his dream along with his mother, Natatia, at the Team USA facility in Colorado Springs with the hope of making the U16 national squad.
After a 118-36 FIBA America championship win over Canada over the weekend, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard is home after an experience of a lifetime.
"It was super cool to be with those top guys," he said. "Having to work to make the team, going through two-a-days and those long, hard practices to get the outcome at the end was great."
Peterson was great, but then again that was expected of him when he received the No. 9 jersey before leaving for Mexico .
Michael Jordan , LeBron James , Vince Carter , Dwyane Wade , Jaylen Brown and Demar DeRozan have all worn No. 9 for USA Basketball before.
Peterson averaged 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists and led the team in efficiency (23.3).
His scoring average tied MVP Cameron Boozer for the team lead, and he shot 67% (42 of 63) from the floor.
"It was a great feeling just to put on that jersey that other greats had," Peterson said. "To be able to say I played for Team USA and won gold was great. It was a great honor to get together with those 12 guys and represent the country."
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Peterson kept up that legacy in a 96-61 win over Puerto Rico, a 113-52 victory over Argentina and a 122-53 triumph over Mexico in group play.
Team USA beat Uruguay 123-45 in the quarters and doubled up on Puerto Rico in the semis to advance to the final with Canada.
The tournament was comprised of teams from North, South and Central America and the performance at Merida, Mexico, qualified Team USA for the U17 World Cup next summer in Turkey.
"The best play was in Colorado just trying to make the team," Peterson said. "As you saw, we kind of destroyed everyone down there. It was a great experience. Just playing with the top guys with the hopes of playing in the NBA, it was awesome to be around great players."
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Peterson's summer is far from over as 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul has invited him to the CP3 Elite Guard Camp in California. The camp is Aug. 2-5.
Peterson, who averaged 31.7 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Royals last season, was one of only 12 guards in the world invited to the camp.
"This is the life I chose," Peterson said. "Everything that comes with it I'm willing to take it on. Chris is a small guard. I want to know how he gets his shots off against guys 6-9, 6-10. I love it."
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Darryn Peterson lands iconic Team USA number, wins gold medal
