5-star Koa Peat discusses latest offers and recent visit
Koa Peat is the 2025 On3 Consensus No. 3 player. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 16.8 points, with the Compton Magic playing up two age groups on the Adidas 3SSB 17u Circuit.
“I would say I’m a versatile wing,” Peat told On3 “I could do everything; guard the one through five, play the one through five, and just be a good teammate. I’m unselfish and a good leader, and try to make sure my team and I are locked in and just playing hard. I watch a lot of the bigger guards, like Cade Cunningham and LeBron James, players that could play every position. I’ll watch scores like Kobe Bryant and KD (Kevin Durant), just trying to take from everyone because, in the next-gen, you have to be versatile. You take from guards, take from bigs, just be able to play every position.”
The five-star was a member of the u17 USA Basketball team that was FIBA gold this summer. Peat, a forward from Gilbert (AZ) Perry High, played 20.1 minutes a game, averaging 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds.
“I’d say where I grew the most was there’s a couple of stretches where I didn’t shoot as well with USA but worked on my game,” Peat said. “I think I shot the ball pretty well this weekend. I think that’s mostly what I’m improving. I’ve been taking all the coaching in; it’s been great.
“Winning gold in Spain was a good experience. It was a long experience; you’re out there, away from your family for like a month, and it’s just you. You just got to really lock in and give yourself to the team and just be a team player out there.”
On3 caught up with Koa Peat at the recent 2022 USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp to talk about his recruitment.
“I have taken one unofficial visit to Arizona State,” Peat said. “My most recent offers came from LSU, Arizona, Baylor, and Stanford.”
Peat talks visits
Arizona State: “I saw how much they love me there. I mean, I think a lot of schools like me, but I think they like me a lot. The campus was really nice. The coaches are really cool. They believe in me. The coaches told me I kind of play like their main piece, Marcus (Bagley). They like I can do everything and just run the offense through me probably.”
LSU: “They were one of my most recent offers. They’re kind of new the because they just got a whole new staff. But the coach is really, really smart. He coached Ja Morant at Murray State, so I think he just lets his players play. LSU is a great school.”
Arizona: “If you go there, you’re going to work hard. They push the ball, push the tempo, and play defense. Coach (Tommy) Lloyd is a great guy. I mean the whole coaching staff, really. Their experience stands out because they won championships and they’ve been in Final Fours. They just have a great coaching staff.
Baylor: “They say they like that I play defense. My versatility, I’m athletic and play a lot of positions. I think they mostly like my character, like as a young man, more than my basketball.”
Stanford: “My brother played football there, so I know it’s a great school, and you got to have good grades to go there. So I work hard in the classroom. Their basketball is good, and they have a great coaching staff there. Everyone in the program is cool.”
“I don’t have any more visits set yet,” Peat said. “I’d like to get to as many of the schools recruiting me as I can. I want to see the campuses and just see how it all feels.
College vs. Pro
“I haven’t really thought much about it,” Peat said. “I mean, obviously, you always think about your future each and every day because that’s what you’re putting the work in for. So whatever path God takes me I’m blessed. If I keep working, I think I could do whatever I want to do.”
In Peat’s words
“My dad and my older brother told me when they went through the process with football, it was big just getting on campus, talking to the coaches, talking to the staff, seeing how it feels there.
“I grew up cheering for my brothers, so naturally, I was a fan of their teams. But I don’t really have a favorite school.
“I want to play for a coach and a coaching staff that believes in me and wants me to succeed with them. I want to be around a good environment and a good staff, one I trust. Just a great overall school. I don’t want to play for a coach who will put me in a box and one that will let me play my game.”
Scouting report
Koa Peat has a naturally strong frame, with long arms and broad shoulders. On the ball, Peat plays with a confidence in both the half and full court. He is a good rebounder and able to push the break in transition. With his lengthy frame, there is upside on defense, especially guarding off the ball. This summer, Peat showed a tendency to settle for jump shots. When getting downhill, he lacks counters off the bounce, and his hips look stiff attacking mostly in straight lines. The form on the jump shot, the release specifically, looks clean and consistent leading to the thought he could grow into being a shooting threat. Peat is young, with a 2007 birthday. His father and brother both play(ed) on the line in the NFL.