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Darryn Peterson of CVCA selected to USA Basketball U16 Men's National Team
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- 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.
CVCA's Darryn Peterson is a member of USA Basketball's Men's U16 National Team.
All of it culminated Thursday with USA Basketball announcing Peterson had made the Men's U16 National Team .
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" 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."
CVCA's Darryn Peterson shoots during a seven-day training camp with USA Basketball in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A soon-to-be junior, Peterson could not immediately be reached for comment while he remained in Colorado with USA Basketball.
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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 .
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CVCA's Darryn Peterson made the 2023 USA Men’s U16 National Team, USA Basketball announced on June 1.
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.
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"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.
CVCA's Darryn Peterson focused on point guard during a recent USA Basketball training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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.
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"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."
CVCA's Darryn Peterson earned one of 12 roster spots on USA Basketball's Men's U16 National Team.
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.
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"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."
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The USA Basketball staff assigned CVCA's Darryn Peterson No. 9, a jersey number worn in the Olympics by LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
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.
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CVCA's Darryn Peterson drives during a recent training camp with USA Basketball in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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."
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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
