Koa Peat Earns High Praise From Arizona State Head Coach
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Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat has solidified himself as not only a top freshman in the country, but a top player overall. Ahead of Arizona’s matchup with Arizona State, Peat earned some strong praise from a college basketball legend.
Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley — the brother of UConn head coach Dan Hurley — spoke with the media ahead of the in-state rivalry game. The head coach of the Sun Devils has been with the program since 2015.
When asked about Peat, Hurley noted his level of basketball maturity that has been evident all season.
- “He’s a special talent,” Hurley said. “He’s been a winner at every stage, he’s done it at the high school level, and USA Basketball, and he’s a big part of what [Arizona] does now. He doesn’t play like a freshman, doesn’t look like a freshman.”
Peat was recruited by ASU out of high school
It should be noted that when Peat was in high school, his offers included Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Duke, Houston, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and UCLA.
With the two Arizona schools both bidding for the blue chip 5-star prospect, Peat eventually settled on Tommy Lloyd’s program at Arizona, committing to the Wildcats last March.
Peat has been superb for Arizona this season
As for ASU, they missed out on an exceptional talent in Peat. The freshman forward is leading the Wildcats in points per game (14.8), and is averaging 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor.
Peat’s performance this season has helped push the Wildcats to an impressive 16-0 record, and being ranked as the #1 team in the country by the AP Poll.
Arizona’s impressive resume
The Wildcats have earned 5 Quad 1 wins already, and 4 Quad 2 wins. Giving them an impressive resume with two months still remaining before the NCAA Tournament, with Peat leading the charge so far.
As a result of his play at Arizona this season, Peat has found himself on many NBA Draft boards ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, with many mocks placing the 18-year-old Peat in the lottery of the draft as a first-round pick.
Peat and the Wildcats will look to continue their strong season up to this point as they have all the makings of a true national championship contender. After falling in the Sweet Sixteen last season, the Wildcats will look to exercise their tournament demons, and secure their second national championship in program history.
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Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.