Darryn Peterson Reflects on Kansas Career After Loss to St. John's amid NBA Draft Rumors

Kansas star Darryn Peterson maintained he has "no regrets" after his team's season came to an with Sunday's 67-65 loss to St. John's in the NCAA tournament.

"I was hurt for the majority of the year," he said to the Kansas City Star's Shreyas Laddha. "I went through some really bad stuff. I wasn't really myself for real until like the end of the year."

Peterson finished with a game-high 21 points but shot 5-of-15 from the field. He also failed to register an assist while committing three turnovers.

St. John's Red Storm-Kansas Jayhawks Highlights

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It was an appropriate capper for the freshman guard, who was equal parts brilliant and frustrating. He averaged 20.2 points on 43.8 percent shooting but missed 11 games.

"He's had moments where he's looked great and moments where obviously his health didn't allow him to play like we all know he's capable of playing," coach Bill Self said of Peterson. "But I hope the year was enjoyable for him. I know I enjoyed being around him an awful lot."

Laddha reported that multiple Kansas players thought this year's team "never met its ceiling." Fairly or not, Peterson will be the symbol for that.

The highly regarded prospect hasn't officially declared for the 2026 NBA draft, but it's doubtful he's back in Lawrence given he's basically a lock for the top five.

The general questions around Peterson's durability have dented his stock somewhat. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman still projects him to go third overall, writing that "there doesn't seem to be any consensus right now" between Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer.

Should Peterson go on to be a perennial All-Star in the NBA, Jayhawks fans will look back on 2025-26 and wonder even more what could've been.