Perry senior Koa Peat announces his commitment to Arizona live on “The Pat McAfee Show,” choosing the Wildcats over top programs like Texas and Houston. (File photo by Hogan Armstrong/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Nine hours before tipoff against Duke in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats were already making headlines.
Koa Peat, a four-time Arizona high school state champion and the state’s top-ranked recruit in the class of 2025, announced his commitment to the University of Arizona Thursday morning.
Peat picked the Wildcats in a top five that included Arizona State, Arizona, Houston, Baylor and Texas, breaking the long-awaited news nationally on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN.
“It was a super hard decision,” Peat said. “Me and my parents had really serious talks about it, but I just felt like Arizona was the right situation for me. Coach Tommy (Lloyd) is a great coach. They have great assistant coaches for my development, and they are just a great program.”
Many college basketball fans, especially in Arizona, have been on pins and needles for the last couple of months, tracking Peat’s pending decision. It was not until “The Pat McAfee Show” official X account announced on Wednesday evening that the McDonald’s All-American would make his pick live on the show the next morning.
Koa Peat, a three-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his senior season at Perry High School. (Photo by Dani Trujillo/Cronkite News)
“Wasn’t sure if it was going to be today or after McDonald’s (All-American Game), but we knew he was getting close because he knew he was going to sign on signing day, on the 16th,” said former Perry coach Sam Duane, who accepted a new role as Mesa Public Schools District compliance and character coach. “So when McAfee came out last night, we were all excited to hear where he was going to go.”
Many fans thought Peat’s family ties would keep him in state 48. His brother, Keona, plays football for Arizona State.
The three-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year made sure to pay his dues on the live program. He shouted out many who had helped him get to this point, including his coaches and supporters at Perry High School in Gilbert.
“Thank you to Perry for an amazing four years,” Peat said. “Thank you to my Principal Mrs. Patterson and Athletic Director Mrs. Burks. Special shoutout to my coaches, Coach Duane and Coach Hartwig, for making me the player I am today.”
The Perry Pumas are coming off four straight state titles, all with Peat being a key contributor. Peat averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game in his senior season as he ended his high school career with 2,154 points.
Peat & Co. captured the fourth championship earlier this month, defeating Sunnyslope 63-44 in the Arizona Open Division final. Despite dealing with a fractured bone in his shooting hand, Peat persevered to finish with 20 points in what would be Duane’s final game as coach.
“His recruiting (by colleges) has been a long thing. It’s been a four-year deal, all the way back to when he entered as a freshman,” Duane said. “So he’s had to handle that for four years, and he did a tremendous job, but when he came in the gym, he was focused on being a good teammate and about winning.”
Duane has worked with all of Koa’s siblings in some form as a coach, including his brother Cassius, who also won four state titles under Duane at Corona Del Sol. Duane has coached numerous NBA talents, including a current star who he sees a lot of in Peat’s game.
Perry senior Koa Peat joins Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class alongside Bryce James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James. (File photo by Hogan Armstrong/Cronkite News)
“His desire to win. He’s off the charts in his maturity, above his age. He processed the game really, really quickly. He processes the game like at the level of Jalen Williams, who’s with the (Oklahoma City) Thunder,” Duane said. “I don’t think he (Peat) gets credit because he plays with such force and such power, but he processes the game really quickly.”
Peat is one of two current verbal commits in the Wildcats’ 2025 class, joining three-star recruit and LeBron James’ son, Bryce. Peat signed to Klutch Sports sports agency last summer, run by LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul. Fittingly enough, Peat’s Thursday announcement comes just a day after James was interviewed on the Wednesday edition of McAfee’s show.
Peat is not the only top recruit to make his college decision on ESPN programming, with 2025 No. 1 recruit A.J. Dybantsa announcing he would be attending Brigham Young University on “First Take” back in December.
Instead of being pressed with questions from Stephen A. Smith like Dybantsa was, McAfee offered his gratitude to Peat for joining the show for his big moment.
“What you just did there, thanking all the people that got you to this point, is the exact reason I was so honored you even thought about doing this on our program,” McAfee said.
Peat will now head to Brooklyn for the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Games. He will not play in the game but will be present for the festivities. With the events not beginning until Monday, Peat may have had the opportunity to hop on the George Washington Bridge and catch his Arizona Wildcats in Newark as they faced Duke in the Sweet 16.
“I feel like the entire fanbase, and team even, will be lifted because they got an absolute dog coming,” McAfee said.
