Inside The Huskies

Huskies Add Hot-Shooting Guard from East Tennessee State

Quimari Peterson was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year.
Dan Raley|
Gary West Side High Cougars Quimari Peterson (1) celebrates after scoring in 2021.
Gary West Side High Cougars Quimari Peterson (1) celebrates after scoring in 2021. | Lee Klafczynski/For IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Alaska Airlines Arena turned into an Alaska Airlines reservation desk on Thursday -- it was busy, everyone was checking in.

The day began with 6-foot-10 German teeanager Hannes Steinbach committing to the Huskies early in the morning, followed by 6-foot-10 Rutgers transfer Lathan Sommerville signing all of the appropriate paperwork to join Danny Sprinkle's team.

Amid the flurriy of personnel moves, former East Tennessee State guard Quimari Peterson had his representation reveal that he, too, was coming to Montlake to play his next season of college basketball.

He's the Southern Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for a 19-13 team.

A native of Gary, Indiana, the 6-foot-1 Peterson will see if he can do something similar at a much more competitive level in the Big Ten.

For sure, he was overly productive for the Buccaneers this past season, turning in 15 games of 20 points or more, and twice topping the 30-point level, with a high of 31 against Chattanooga.

Certainly he is a revelation to a majority of players found in the transfer portal -- he can shoot.

Butler guard Finley Bizjack (13) shoots over East Tennessee State guard Quimari Peterson (1) in 2023.
Butler guard Finley Bizjack (13) shoots over East Tennessee State guard Quimari Peterson (1) in 2023. | Hali Tauxe/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Peterson averaged 46.7 percent overall and connected on a sizzling 42 percent from 3-point range, dropping 9 of 10 from behind the line against Missouri-Kansas City.

He also didn't suddenly become a highly proficient player for East Tennessee State. The season before, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists for a 19-16 team.

Like most college players these days, Peterson has been a few places.

He spent his first season at two-year Logan College in Cartersville Illinois, averging 13.3 points per outing for a 33-2 team, then joined Indiana State, Larry Bird's alma mater, and didn't play.

With the JC year exempt, he could have two seasons of college eligibility remaining.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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