Rumor Mill: Five-star standouts preview visits
HOOVER, Ala. – The second session of the adidas 3SSB season continued in Alabama on Saturday, and Rivals.com’s national analyst Rob Cassidy was on hand for the day that was. Below, Cassidy provides notes related to the recruitment of a trio of five-star prospects that left their mark on the event.
More Rumor Mill: Latest chatter from adidas 3SSB in Birmingham
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DARRYN PETERSON FINALIZING DATES FOR NORTH CAROLINA VISIT
There are few prospects in the country as in-demand as five-star guard Darryn Peterson, who spent the weekend in Alabama showing his full, wide-ranging skill set and electric athleticism running with the Game Elite grassroots organization. He has no shortage of versatility to his game and, fittingly, no shortage of college opportunities. One such opportunity is an offer from North Carolina, to which Peterson says he’s currently finalizing a date to visit.
“I’m excited to see what it’s like down there,” Peterson said on Saturday. “I watched some of their games this year and I’ve been waiting to take this official visit for a while. Watching RJ Davis and how ball dominant he was and how he got to hoop this year, I feel like if I go there we could have similar games.”
Peterson says he’s already heard from new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, who called to re-offer him after getting the Wildcats’ head coaching job last month. The former Kentucky staff has also been in touch with Peterson, who says he hopes to take a visit to Fayetteville down the road but has not discussed a date for such a trip just yet.
Asked which programs are most involved in his process as things stand, the five-star guard rattled off some seriously heavy hitters.
“Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, Arkansas and North Carolina,” Peterson said. “There’s probably another one I’m forgetting. My dad knows all of them.”
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NATE AMENT EYEING TRIPS TO INDIANA, VIRGINIA
One of the most versatile and well-regarded prospects in the 2025 class, it’s possible that Nate Ament could improve on his already lofty, No. 14 ranking in the Rivals150 based on his rapid development this year. The Team Loaded star continues to balance working on his game and managing a crowded recruitment, however, and the next item of business pertaining to the latter seems like it might be either a visit to Big Ten Country or a return trip to a familiar campus.
“I haven’t set anything in stone yet, but I’m going to be going to Indiana soon,” Ament said on Saturday. “I’m also going to go back to [Virginia]. With Indiana, their head coach used to be a big-time big coach in the NBA and coached big-time NBA guys. They want to keep developing me as a versatile player. They would help improve my game
A Virginia native, Ament has already been on campus at UVA on a handful of occasions and remains incredibly close with the Cavaliers’ staff. And while he certainly isn;t a lock to land in Charlottesville for college, Tony Bennett’s program is a near lock to be involved until the end.
“I have a great relationship with coach Bennett and coach [Jason] Willford,” Ament said. “They talk to me all the time. They’re a big defensive program, so they give me tips and tricks on improving that part of my game. They’re good people over there.”
In addition to setting up visits to Indiana and Virginia, Ament has been in contact with the new coaching staffs at Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisville but has not entertained the idea of visits to any of the three just yet, though he says that may change down the road.
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FIVE-STAR KOA PEAT TALKS UPCOMING VISITS
The upcoming month or so will feature visit destinations both new and familiar to five-star forward Koa Peat, the Arizona-based standout with a long list of major offers to his name. A June 6 visit to Houston is already set in stone and will be his first trip to the Cougars’ campus and it’s one he’s looking forward to for a number of reasons.
“I’m executed to see the campus and the facilities and everything,” Peat said on Saturday. “I already know coach K.C. [Beard] and the head coach, coach [Kevin] Sampson pretty well but I’m excited to get around them and interact with them in person and all that.”
He says he also hopes to take an unofficial visit to Arizona later in the summer before planning more official visits to places such as Duke, Arkansas and Baylor. Peat says he’s already been on campus at Arizona “three or four times” and feels comfortable in Tucson, but wants to take one more unofficial in addition to an eventual fall official visit before he makes his commitment.
“When I talk to Arizona now, we just mostly talk about how I’m doing,” Peat said. “We don’t really talk about basketball much. We talk about a lot of other things.”
