HOOVER, Al. – The second session of the adidas 3SSB season continued in Alabama on Saturday, and Rivals.com’s national analyst Rob Cassidy was available for the day it was. Below, Cassidy provides notes related to the recruitment of a trio of five-star prospects who left their mark on the event.
More rumors: Latest talks from adidas 3SSB in Birmingham
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2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Ratings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 rankings: Top 100
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DARRYN PETERSON FINALIZING DATES FOR VISIT TO NORTH CAROLINA
There are few prospects in the country as sought after as the five-star guard Darryn Peterson, who spent the weekend in Alabama showcasing his broad skill set and electric athleticism running with the Game Elite grassroots organization. He has no shortage of versatility in his game and, appropriately, college opportunities. One of these opportunities is an offer of North Carolineto which Peterson says he is finalizing a date for a visit.
“I’m excited to see what it’s like down there,” Peterson said Saturday. “I watched some of their games this year and I had been waiting for some time to make this official visit. Attending RJ Davis and how he dominated the ball and how he was able to shoot this year, I feel like if I go there we can have similar games.
Peterson says he has heard of new Kentucky head coach Marcos Papa, who called to offer him again after landing the Wildcats head coaching job last month. The former Kentucky team also reached out to Peterson, who says he hopes to make a visit to Fayetteville in the future, but has not yet discussed a date for such a trip.
Asked which programs are most involved in his process as things currently stand, the five-star guard rattled off some heavy hitters.
“Kansas, Ohio Statekentucky, Arkansas and North Carolina,” Peterson said. “There’s probably another one I’m forgetting. My father knows them all.
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NATE AMENT EYES TRAVEL TO INDIANA, VIRGINIA
One of the most versatile and highly regarded prospects in the class of 2025, it is possible that Nate Ament could improve on his already high ranking of 14th in 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 appears to be a visit to Big Ten Country or a trip back to a campus familiar.
“I haven’t recorded anything yet, but I’ll Indiana soon,” Ament said on Saturday. “I will also go back to [Virginia]. With Indiana, their head coach used to be a great NBA coach and coached great NBA players. They want to continue developing me as an all-around player. They would help improve my game
A native of Virginia, Ament has been to the UVA campus on a few occasions and remains incredibly close to the Cavaliers staff. And while he certainly isn’t ready to land in Charlottesville for college, Tony BennettThe program is almost closed to be involved until the end.
“I have a great relationship with coach Bennett and coach [Jason] willford”, said Ament. “They talk to me all the time. They are a great defensive program, so they give me tips and tricks to improve that part of my game. They are good people there.”
In addition to arranging visits to Indiana and Virginia, Ament was in contact with the new coaching teams at Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisville but he hasn’t considered the idea of visiting any of the three, although he says that could change in the future.
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FIVE STARS KOA PEAT TALKS UPCOMING VISITS
Next month will feature new and familiar visiting destinations for future five-stars Koa Peat, the Arizona standout with a long list of major offers to his name. A visit on June 6 to Houston is already recorded and will be his first trip to the Cougars’ campus and it’s something he’s looking forward to for a number of reasons.
“I’m tired of seeing the campus and the facilities and everything,” Peat said Saturday. “I already know the coach K.C. [Beard] and the head coach, coach [Kevin] Samson very well, but I’m excited to meet them and interact with them in person and everything.”
He says he also hopes to make an unofficial visit to the Arizona in late summer, before planning more official visits to places like DukeArkansas and Baylor. Peat says he has been to the Arizona campus “three or four times” and feels comfortable in Tucson, but wants to make one more unofficial visit, in addition to a possible official visit in the fall, before making his commitment.
“When I talk to Arizona now, we mostly talk about how I’m doing,” Peat said. “We don’t really talk about basketball much. We talked about a lot of other things.”
