They came to see if the home team could pull off a massive upset.
They came to see one of the best high school boys basketball squads in the country.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
They came to see the young man who might be the next Arizona Wildcats superstar.
The gym at Tucson High School was raucous and overflowing Tuesday night. The bleachers were pulled out on both ends of the court, yet some onlookers still spent the whole game standing on the hardwood.
They wanted to catch a glimpse of the 10th-ranked team in the nation, Perry High of Gilbert, and the Pumas’ premier player, senior Koa Peat, a five-star prospect whose five finalists include the university just down the street.
They were treated to a high-energy, high-level game that Perry eventually won 64-48. It wasn’t necessarily Peat’s prettiest performance — he struggled with foul trouble and foul shots — but he showed why some of the best programs in college basketball want him so badly.
Perry’s Koa Peat (10) draws a crowd of Badgers including Tucson’s Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi (22), Adam Armadillo (5) and Xavier Grajeda (1) while dragging down an offensive rebound in their game at Tucson High on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Despite missing a large chunk of the second half after incurring his fourth foul with 3:22 left in the third quarter, Peat unofficially finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Listed at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, Peat dribbled the ball up the court at times vs. Tucson’s press, rarely forced his own offense, communicated on defense and dominated on the glass.
He looked very much like a player who’d fit into Tommy Lloyd’s system.
The head coaches at Arizona State, Baylor, Houston and Texas — Peat’s other four finalists — undoubtedly feel the same way. One of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson’s assistants, K.C. Beard, spoke to Perry coach Sam Duane Jr. before the game and watched Peat play from near the Pumas bench.
Peat did not provide any insight into where he’s going or when he’ll announce his decision; he declined to speak to media after the game. At least one UA fan, a man clad in a red Wildcats quarter-zip, let his feelings be known while Peat shot a free throw late in the fourth quarter. “U of A! U of A!” the man bellowed. It didn’t really catch on — but did serve as a counterprotest to the “Over-rated!” chant from Tucson High students earlier in the quarter.
Tucson’s Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi (22) tries for the putback between Perry’s Koa Peat (10) and Dominic Avalos (4) in the first quarter of their game at Tucson High on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Focused on winning
Despite the game’s proximity to McKale Center, Duane said the Wildcats — who were busy beating West Virginia in Morgantown — weren’t on Peat’s mind as the Pumas bused down I-10.
“He likes U of A,” Duane said. “But we were really focused on Tucson. We knew we were coming into a hornet’s nest tonight. We knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy game.
“We’re coming off that national tournament (Hoophall West), and then we have our rival on Friday, Basha. So kind of a trap game. We were really focused on this game.”
The scrappy Badgers gave the Pumas — the No. 1-ranked team in Arizona, per MaxPreps, and the No. 10 team in its national Top 25 — a hell of a fight. Tucson led 32-29 at halftime. The Pumas were up 36-34 when Peat was forced to the bench with his fourth foul. They actually expanded the lead while he sat thanks to senior forward D’Andre Harrison, a Missouri-Kansas City signee who went on a scoring spree and finished with a game-high 29 points.
Perry’s Koa Peat (10) tracks down an offensive rebound in front of Tucson’s Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi (22) in the second quarter of their game at Tucson High on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Peat seemed frustrated with the officiating. Duane put it this way: “He didn’t get a lot of help. I don’t think they let him be really physical tonight. ... Koa gets penalized for being big.”
The “Shaq Effect” definitely was in play. Peat — the literal center of attention Tuesday; he’ll be a forward in college — was the biggest, strongest player on the court. He got the better of most collisions, if not most whistles.
But 14-1 Perry, which has won three state titles in a row, isn’t a one-man band, in part because of the way Peat plays. Asked what makes Peat special, Duane said:
“His unselfishness. His willingness to win, to make the right play. ... He just makes simple plays.
“I truly can say that he’s a tremendous teammate. I love coaching him, and our players love playing with him.”
Rinse and re-Peat
Koa is the latest member of the Peat clan — arguably Arizona’s First Family of Sports — to play under Duane. He has coached all five boys: Todd Jr., Andrus, Cassius, Keona and Koa. All six of Koa’s older siblings, including sisters Leilani and Maya, have played or are still playing college football or basketball.
Andrus Peat, older brother of Gilbert Perry High School basketball star and Arizona recruiting target Koa Peat, just completed his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Andrus played the previous nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
“Tremendous family,” Duane said. “In this day and age with high-profile athletes, sometimes the families can be a little off. Humble, grounded, character. That’s why Koa is who he is — because of his family and the way he was raised.”
Andrus, who attended Stanford, just completed his 10th season as an offensive lineman in the NFL. Cassius won four straight boys basketball state championships under Duane at Tempe Corona Del Sol. Keona is an offensive lineman at ASU. Maya is a center at Texas Tech.
They are the progeny of Todd and Jana. Todd preceded Andrus as an NFL lineman, playing for the Cardinals and Raiders from 1987-93.
So Koa’s intense recruitment is nothing new for the Peats. Leilani told Cronkite Sports that “there’d be some coach at our dinner table” on a regular basis while she was growing up. “It was just a normal thing,” she said.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, left, played for Sam Duane Jr. at Gilbert Perry High School. Duane said Williams and current senior star Koa Peat, an Arizona recruiting target, have similarly high basketball IQs.
“I’m there for him,” said Duane, “but you gotta remember, this family has been through this many times. And Andrus is in the NFL, so he knows the business part.
“If they ever need anything, I’m always there. But right now, me and him are focused on basketball and enjoying his senior year.”
‘Student of the game’
Koa Peat is a consensus top-10 prospect and, per Duane, a straight-A student who’s a “great role model on our campus” and “says hi to our principal every day.” Duane compares Peat’s basketball IQ to that of Jalen Williams, who played for Perry and is a budding star for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He studies the game,” Duane said. “He knows players. We talk players all the time.
“He sees the game. He is a student of the game. Koa wants to be great. He has this desire in him to be great. Not good; he wants to be great. But he does that out of a concept of a team.”
Perry’s Koa Peat (10) slams into Tucson’s Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi (22) on a drive to the bucket in the third quarter of their game at Tucson High on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Two of Peat’s best plays in the fourth quarter Tuesday came on passes — a long lookahead to Harrison for a layup and a nifty bounce pass to him from the foul line for an and-one.
“I’m not giving you a line. He cares about winning, and he will do whatever it takes to win,” Duane said. “That’s why, wherever he goes, they’re going to win.”
Peat has nothing but good options. He could join Dwayne Aristode and Bryce James — and maybe Brayden Burries and Alijah Arenas — at Arizona. Or become a Sun Devil like Keona. Or further boost Big 12 contenders Baylor or Houston. Or try to help Texas rise in the suddenly stacked SEC.
Peat made a positive first impression on the Tucson basketball scene Tuesday. Hopefully, it won’t be the last.
