Aggie Basketball Inks Junior College Standout

Utah State’s head men’s basketball coach Stew Morrill announced Tuesday the signing of Durrall Peterson to a national letter of intent to compete for the Aggies beginning in the 2005-06 season. The 6-4, 210-pound forward is currently a sophomore at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas and will have two years of eligibility with Utah State.

As a sophomore at Hutchinson Community College, Peterson earned second-team all-Jayhawk West honors as he averaged a team-best 14.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He also led the Blue Dragons with 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals as a sophomore and shot 36.3 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three-point range and 70.3 percent from the free throw line.

“Durrall is a very positive addition to our program,” said Morrill. “He has excellent basketball skills and has the potential to be an outstanding leader on and off the court. Durrall comes from a junior college with great tradition and the coaching he received at Hutchinson will greatly help his transition to the Division I level.

“He also has a high caliber, supportive family that has instilled a lot of character during his formative years,” Morrill added. “We believe he will be very successful as an Aggie.”

As a freshman, Peterson earned third-team all-Jayhawk West honors as he averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 38.0 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from three-point range and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line.

During his two-year career at Hutchinson Community College, Peterson ranks 17th all-time in school history with 810 points (13.6 ppg), fourth all-time in three-pointers made with 115, and second all-time in three-pointers attempted with 372.

Peterson prepped at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C. where he earned all-conference honors three straight years and led his conference in assists as a senior.

“Durrall is a versatile player that can score, defend and rebound, and he moves well without the ball,” said Hutchinson Community College head coach Chad Wintz. “He is a super kid and the type of person that all coaches look for. Durrall is coachable and wants to get better and I look for him to be successful in coach Morrill’s system.”

Along with Utah State, Peterson was also recruited by Auburn, LaSalle, Tulsa and Winthrop.