Koa Peat, one of the nation’s top prospects and Arizona’s prime recruiting target, was not supposed to play in the Arizona open-division state playoffs.

Peat broke his shooting hand in practice just over a week ago. Nobody was planning on seeing him dunk and defend while his Perry Pumas won a 4th consecutive state championship. Peat, had other plans.

He returned for the semi-final game and scored 16 in the win, setting up a matchup in the final with Sunnyslope. The Perry Pumas and Peat completed a four-peat on Saturday. Peat put up 20 points in the championship game and showcased why he is a top-10 recruit in America.

The Broken Hand

Koa Peat’s return was early. Reports ruled him out for the remainder of the playoffs, and for Peat to come back early and compete as hard as he did is a testament to his love for the game of basketball, his teammates and coaches.

Peat was dunking, dribbling, and defending with the injured hand but he still was feeling the pain. The young forward was in visible discomfort returning from halftime. He was the last out of the locker room and was seen flexing his shooting hand while grimacing.

Peat is not the first athlete to play through a painful injury, but he may be the first power forward to bank in a three pointer with a broken shooting hand. Peat was special to watch versus Sunnyslope even with the injury. Crashing to the rim with aggression, unafraid to take hard falls, Peat showed that what was written on his hand-wrap pre-game was truly his attitude that night.

The Skillset

Koa Peat is a 5-star prospect with some of the best programs in the nation calling his phone, so it goes without saying that the 6-foot-8 star is highly skilled. What stood out most about Peat was his endless list of talents. Shooting, passing, IQ, ball handling, defense, athleticism… you name it, Peat’s got it. It’s truly hard to find players that can do everything on the basketball court. Peat is one of those players.

He posses a mid-range jumper, paint moves, vision, and is strong sealing his man off from the ball. Defensively, Peat is a man amongst boys at the high-school level. He plays incredible 1-on-1 defense but is also very effective roaming making plays away from his assignment. Peat cleverly uses his superior size and length in passing lanes, while seeking contact, and when contesting shots, making it very hard on his opponents who were almost all undersized in comparison.

Occasionally in high-school, the best player naturally becomes the primary ball handler, but the Perry team of 2024-25 is talented everywhere. NoNo Brown was running the point for the Pumas and this meant Peat was off-ball for the majority of the night. Playing off-ball is sometimes one of the harder things for dominant players to become accustomed to. Peat seemed active off-ball and constantly working back toward the ball or trying to find open space.

He also uses his gravity against the defense. Sunnyslope’s defense was unable to disregard Peat which meant there was opportunity for backdoor cuts and kick-outs to shooters. The attention he demands was the genesis for those buckets.

One aspect of Peat’s game that should have coaches like Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd excited is his athleticism. Peat can elevate very quickly and looks to finish strong every time he attacks the paint. Even his own teammates are not safe from being dunked on.

Perry’s DeAndre Harrison missed a layup and Peat came soaring over the top for a put-back slam, sending the arena to it’s feet. For as broad and strong as Peat is, he’s fast down the court and laterally as well. As Perry was trying to close out the game, Peat decided it was his time and began to get more aggressive getting downhill and it became clear that once an athlete of his size and skill gets moving, it is hard to stop them.

The Intangibles

The things to watch for with any prospect are the intangibles. Things like competitive fire, leadership, and respect for their opponents. Koa Peat has all of those in spades.

He may not be a player that is talking his talk all game, but Peat understands the big moments in a game and will show the emotion that has been boiling up with a shout to his bench or his family court-side. Peat, playing with a broken hand to complete a piece of history, shows this fire and passion as well. He has won everywhere he has gone. Arizona, if they can land Peat, will be getting a winner.

He also was an on-court coach, showcasing his leadership, always aware of the set and each player’s assignments. His teammates certainly looked to him to set the tone for the game. Peat’s head coach Sam Duane Jr. even indicated to media outlets after Peat was injured that his new role would be coaching from the sideline.

Peat was also quick to put his arm around his teammates to say pleasantries as they left the court for the last time together. Even more admirably, Peat took time out of his celebratory moment to acknowledge and shake hands with Sunnyslope players as they accepted their 2nd place trophy.

Arizona focused on peat?

Koa Peat is seemingly a perfect fit for the Arizona Wildcats: A local, a leader, highly skilled, highly regarded, and a great athlete with high pedigree. Fans would love to watch Peat on the McKale Center floor. Arizona is securely in Peat’s top 5 schools alongside Baylor, Houston, Arizona State, and Texas.

It seems like Peat is Big 12 bound but can Tommy Lloyd and company add Peat to the 2025 class? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain: Koa Peat is the authentic article.

Many Arizona fans are identifying Peat as the must-have recruit of this cycle. He is certainly the top-prize in this recruiting competition, but with the upcoming loss of Caleb Love this offseason, the Arizona offense is going to need scoring and ball-handling.

Brayden Burries may just be the number-one recruit on Arizona’s board in terms of fit. Regardless, Peat would be an incredible addition to Arizona’s class. A combination of Peat and Burries would send many Arizona fans into orbit. For now, Peat’s work is done. Tommy Lloyd’s work to securing Peat’s recruitment on the other hand, continues.