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Darryn Peterson made his NCAA Tournament debut while Brooklyn was hosting the Knicks on Friday, while Boozer made his Thursday afternoon. Dybantsa put on an all-time performance in BYU’s loss to Texas, looking like a potential No. 1 overall pick. “He’s going to be a great player. People talk about comparisons to [Kevin Durant], Jayson Tatum, and it does look like it to me,” Nets rookie Egor Dëmin told The Post of his BYU successor. “It’s a lot of midrange, really aggressive driver, slasher, the transition game, physicality, crazy athlete. He’s got everything to be able to play on the highest level.”
In head-to-head meetings, Darryn Peterson outdueled BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer, once scoring 61 points on Dybantsa’s Utah Prep. He vaulted above the two players who were once ranked above him and was considered the star of what has proven to be a historically good freshman class. And favorite to go No. 1 in the 2026 draft. “Darryn was already kind of in a world of his own,” an NBA scout said. “Then the conversation was, AJ’s probably (number) two, or maybe Boozer, but Darryn was in a different field.”
Darryn Peterson’s NBA stock has taken a hit, more because of how he’s playing now than the fact that he sat out games. “Everything that’s going on with Darryn not playing well and not shooting it well during this time, it is definitely leaning people into AJ at one is a real conversation,” the scout said. “AJ, what he’s been doing at his size, is different. But all this stuff that now is being made public that we knew, a lot of people in the media had said he doesn’t love the game, he’s not competitive and that other bulls—, we knew was all crap. But who goes No. 1 is a conversation now.”
Lamar Odom is getting back to work after checking out of rehab -- and getting back to his basketball roots, TMZ has learned. Sources close to the former NBA star tell us, Lamar has been traveling recently and sat down with several college basketball programs to discuss potential coaching opportunities.
The two-time NBA champ has had conversations with athletic departments and basketball staff about joining them to help develop the next generation of players. Sources told TMZ ... Lamar is pitching schools on bringing back elements of the legendary Triangle Offense, the system he mastered while playing for then-Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. We’re told Lamar believes young basketball players can benefit from the strategy ... and he's eager to land a job where he can start training a new batch of basketball stars.
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Michael Scotto: Syracuse and general manager Alex Kline have parted ways in the wake of Adrian Autry being let go, league sources told @hoopshype. Kline previously worked for the Knicks and Pelicans. Prior, Kline created The Recruit Scoop and the Mary Kline Classic. @JonRothstein first to report.
Georgia Tech announced a change in leadership of its men's basketball program. Damon Stoudamire will not return as head coach next season. Ryan Alpert, Vice President and Director of Athletics for Georgia Tech, made the announcement on Sunday morning.
The University of Hartford plans to build a $2.4 million outdoor athletics and recreation complex on the residential side of its West Hartford campus. The project will include six tennis courts — one of which will also be lined for four pickleball courts — along with a basketball court and lighting for nighttime use. The facility will be named for Vin Baker, the former University of Hartford basketball standout who went on to a 13-year NBA career and is currently an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Through all the success, Nate Oats is continually asked about his potential interest in one day jumping to the NBA. Wednesday brought another one of those questions. Oats admitted there are still a lot of boxes to check at Alabama before he moves on. His family is another factor Oats brings up in the equation, citing the tough travel schedule of the NBA and how it relates to raising his three daughters. “We would have to win an awful lot of games here for me to make that jump,” Oats said via SiriusXM Radio. “Probably the one who’s done it best most recently is Brad Stevens, and man, he went to a national championship at Butler.”
Nate Oats: “I’ve got to focus on winning a lot of games here. I love it here. I’ve got two young daughters… I’m not sure how conducive the NBA is to raising a family. But I love learning from the NBA, I love watching it. I don’t know what the future holds… We’re going to keep trying to win one here and see what happens.”
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President of Basketball Ops today … head coach tomorrow? Master P isn’t ruling it out. The rap mogul-turned-basketball exec swung by the TMZ Sports studio this week and told Babcock he’s already had multiple colleges try to lure him away because of how quickly he's turned around the University of New Orleans, where he serves as assistant coach AND President of Basketball Operations. “I have so many colleges now looking at me like, ‘Hey, come join our program because of the business side that I have,’” P said. “But I’m thankful for being where I’m at and just working.”
During All-Star Weekend, The Athletic polled players on whether pros should be allowed to return to the college ranks. That’s a firm “no,” according to 10 of the 12 players who responded. “I think there should be boundaries for sure,” said the Brooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin, who played at BYU after playing professionally in Spain. “I think if you play the game in the NBA, that probably makes no sense to let a player go back to college. It’s kinda unfair to the other guys, right?”
Demin’s opinion carries weight because he is an example of the loophole that players like Bailey and Bediako are saying is unfair to them. Current rules allow players such as Demin, who played professionally in Europe for Real Madrid, to come to the U.S. and play in college. Franz and Moritz Wagner both played for Alba Berlin before playing collegiately at Michigan. The same opportunity has not, traditionally, been afforded to American players who played in the NBA or G League. “I just feel like there’s a reason why they call you a pro,” said the Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells, who played at both Sonoma State and Washington State. “And when you’re in college, you’re not a pro.”
Egor Demin on playing in college: I got offers from Russia from the VTB league and had some offers over Europe and colleges. And I'm like, well, I don't want to go to college. I don't think I would fit. I don't think it's something I’d like to do. And I was thinking like if I’m staying in Europe, it would be Real Madrid. It's one of the best organizations in Europe. So, why would I leave? But then trying to analyze everything, what's the best kind of case scenarios for me, I figured that college probably would be the best, because I can play against older guys but not as much. Not against the grown men who's professionals already for like 10, 15 years in Europe. I can find the place that I really fit into. Out of all the colleges they were offering me I could really just be like, "Okay, this place is best because of this, and really see where I want to go more." And BYU was… I didn't know if it's going to be a perfect fit, but it was a lot of advantage from them, just from a standpoint of having an NBA coach.