What is happening with Kansas star Darryn Peterson, arguably the nation’s best college basketball player?
How can a player so talented be so averse to showcasing those skills?
“He’s getting terrible advice,” Danny Parkins said on “First Things First.” “He’s making millions of dollars to play basketball. He has an agent who reps NBA people at a big agency. The only reason why I think he’s getting bad counseling here is [because] he’s not explaining what’s going on. Why do you keep getting cramps? Is there a medical condition? Because what is happening now is, are you load managing? Are you load managing your college career?”
Peterson has missed 11 of Kansas’ 26 games because of a hamstring injury, cramping and an illness. Furthermore, he has opted out in the middle of two more games, including the Jayhawks’ 81-69 win against Oklahoma State.
In the second half of Wednesday’s game, Peterson hit a right-wing 3-pointer before turning to coach Bill Self to ask to be subbed out.
Self obliged, as he has all season, because the Jayhawks’ coach is seemingly just as confused as everyone else and has no control of the situation.
“Hall of Fame coach Bill Self — he has a ton of credibility in that program, in that state in that sport,” Parkins said. “He’s a Hall of Famer, and he’s like, ‘Oh I thought he was going back in.’ And he wasn’t.
“[Peterson] needs to [explain] because at some point, he’s going to need to explain this to the NBA.”
Peterson’s likely to be a top-three pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. He’s averaging 20.0 points per game in just 26.9 minutes per game. But, his inconsistency is playing time could concern scouts at the next level and disrupt the flow for Kansas.
“He looks like Kobe,” Parkins added. “He looks like Dwayne Wade, but if he doesn’t love basketball, I need to know.”
