Advertisement
football Edit

Interest in Peterson is building

Hopkins junior guard D.J. Peterson came off the bench to provide his team with six points a game this season as the Royals plowed through the competition on their way to a state title. Now in the spotlight of AAU basketball coaches and fans will be able to see Peterson's game flourish with Net Gain Sports. Already with three offers Peterson could receive more in the very near future.
Peterson impressed this past weekend at the 43 Hoops scrimmage showing several ranges of his game. D.J. consistently hit from beyond the arc, he created for others off the dribble showing some excellent court vision, and the 6-foot-4 guard took several different wings to the rack scoring with either hand.
Advertisement
"I'm definitely excited about this AAU season," D.J. explained of his Net Gain team. "We got a lot of shooters but yet we are so versatile. We are not extremely big but we have a lot of guards that can shoot it, penetrate and kick, and I think that versatility is going to be key for us this spring and summer."
The growth of D.J.'s game over the high school season is very evident. But Peterson knows there is much room for improvement.
"Obviously I need to work on my strength, I'm 180 pound right now trying to get that up," Peterson explained. "I also want to improve my shooting. Every time I put the ball up I want to be able to knock the shot down. Shooting and getting in the weight room are the two biggest things for me this summer."
The mixed bag that is Minnesota's 2010 class has numerous names out there being looked at by division one schools but not one or two names that stands ahead as the elite prospects. Peterson is surely a top ten prospect in this class and the way he looked last weekend at the 43 Hoops scrimmage I think it's fair to say that he's a top five or six prospect in Minnesota at the very least. Plus there are several mid majors out there who could be very close to offering.
"I just talked to the coach of St. Mary's the other night (coach Randy Bennett of the Gaels)," Peterson stated. "Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, Saint Louis, and Colorado State are the other schools showing the most interest. I have offers from NDSU, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and Baylor."
When Marcus Williams decides on what school he will attend at the division one level in the very near future it will mean that all five Hopkins starters from this year are division one signed and ready to play. Hopkins finished 31-0 marking their place in the history books.
"It was an amazing season," Peterson said of his junior year. "We were expected to win and we won. People wanted us to lose but everybody on our team came together to play as one and we won it all."
Advertisement