Danny Peters

Name: Danny Peters
High School: Lakota East High School
College/Mascot: The Ohio State University / Buckeyes
Sport: MBB
Class: 2010
Current City: Tucson, AZ
Hometown: The State of Ohio
Birth date: 7-5-86
Age: 24
Height/Weight: 6’1 180

 On your sport…

How long have you played? What inspired you to start playing? I've played basketball for as long as I can remember. My father was a college basketball coach so I always wanted to follow him along and ended up staying in the gym playing basketball.

Where is your favorite place to play? When I lived in Cincinnati I had a half court in my back yard that I loved to play on.  I was fortunate enough to have a Shoot-a-way and my father and I would stay up there all night shooting jump shots and talking hoops.  Most of my knowledge about the game was learned on that court.

What is your favorite number? Why? I am a big Maravich fan (coach’s son, come on… he is the greatest of them all) so I was #44 in high school and wanted to wear it into college but it was reserved for William Bufford. I decided to wear #13 to honor a player my father coached at the University of Cincinnati, Lenny Stokes.  He was like a big brother to me, took me to movies, gave me sneakers, shot around with me during the summer, etc.  Every time I put that jersey on or signed my name it reminded me how he treated me and how I should continue to do the same.

Who is the best player you’ve played WITH and AGAINST? I was fortunate enough to play with LeBron in high school at a camp in Akron, so I would say he is the best player I have ever played with. But in terms of college and a team setting I would say that Evan Turner is the best player I have played with.  He was the best player in college basketball his Junior year and was so versatile. Fortunately, I always played with really good players so I can not say that one particular player stands out in my mind as someone that was the best we played against.  We always had just as good talent guarding him that gave them fits defensively.

Do you have a pre-game ritual? If so, what is it? None

What made you choose THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY? I never gave anything else a shot.

If you didn’t play basketball, what sport would you play? I don’t think I would, maybe baseball or golf.

What is the worst experienced you’ve had? What did you learn from it? Winning in the NIT, it was not the standard that we set with our team or program and it was an empty victory. Our guys were better than the NIT and we did not come together as a group to prove that to anyone.

Have you ever had an injury while playing? Yes, I have broken my nose several times.

What do you consider as your greatest accomplishment?  The Final Four 2007

What is your most memorable moment? Why? Hugging my father after beating Memphis to go to the Final Four. Sharing that moment with him was something that I will always remember.

How has your sport helped you become who you are today? Athletics as taught me so many different things, it is difficult to name them all.  I can say with every life circumstance I have had, I can easily relate it to basketball.

How has your family reacted to all of your sporting success? They love it and are huge supporters of my career. It is nice to have them involved and following the teams I am apart of regardless of where we are playing or where I am living.

What separates you from everyone else in life? I am not sure, I have never thought of that… I know that I am very fortunate and have been in the right place at the right time, which has led to a lot of my opportunities. I am very thankful for those opportunities and I try to do my best to make the most of them.  I am sure anyone in that position would do the same.

Behind your sport…

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I do not have much spare time so when I do get some I like to remove my self from basketball and try to get away from it for a while.

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook!

What is your favorite movie? TV Show? Jersey Shore, I live by myself but I guarantee my neighbors think I have roommates every Thursday night as I laugh at the TV.

Ps3, Xbox or neither? I do not play video games.

What is your favorite part about college? Time spent with teammates at the NCAA tournament.

What is the first thing you notice about people? Their sneakers.

Do you have a saying or motto that you live by? Favorite quote? “Try hard, have fun, and never quit” my father gave that to me and repeated it frequently when I was young.

Who is the most influential person you’ve met? Why? My father, he taught me everything I know about character and basketball.

What do you value the most? The small things, time spent with family and friends laughing or just relaxing.  In this profession they are few and far between. Those moments mean so much when you are alone in a hotel or weeks apart from your family.

What is your major? Why did you choose it? My bachelors degree is in Special Education and my masters is in Education Psychology.  Coaching is teaching, they go hand in hand.

Outside of basketball, what are your visions/goals in life? Have a great family and marriage like the one I saw my parents have and create for my brother and myself.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I try to focus on the now and how I can be the very best at my job.

Present Day…

What are you up to nowadays? I am at the University of Arizona working with Sean Miller and the Men’s Basketball Program as a Graduate Assistant.


What made you want to start coaching? My father, he has been coaching for over 30 years and I love the relationships he has created.

How long have you been coaching? This is my first year on a staff but I have coached AAU for the last few years.

How did you end up coaching at Arizona? I have had a relationship with our assistant coach Archie Miller since he was an assistant coach at Ohio State.  He contacted me as soon as he left Columbus for Tucson and told me to keep my options open in case there was an opening in the staff here in Tucson.

What’s your favorite part about coaching? Least favorite part? I love the relationships that are created because of basketball.  Seeing each player develop as a person and player is so exciting.  The most difficult thing may be seeing those players leave after all of the growth they have made in the short time in your program.

Final thoughts...

What are your thoughts about Mylan Murphy?  I have only spoken with Mylan a few times but he seems like a very driven and well accomplished person for being so young in age.

What advice do you have to anyone reading your story? Keep working and always stay focused on the big picture.  Like Cam’ron said, “this ain’t over night, its years in the process”… Nothing just happens, it takes a lot of work and patience to get there.

Name 5 things you would like to accomplish by the age of 30 – I do not think like that.  I do not have career goals that have a time line but instead worry about doing the best job I can do right now to help Coach Miller and Arizona Basketball.

What will you continue to Strive4? I will continue to strive for our program to be the very best it can be.  We have a lot of resources that provided us a clear advantage over other programs.  It is important that we keep highlighting our advantages and moving forward as a program.

Must I add, The Arizona Wildcats are STILL in the NCAA Tournament and they actually will be taking on Duke tomorrow (3/24/11) in Anaheim, California, so make sure you check them out! GO CATS!!! Also, this is only the beginning of Danny Peters! If you haven't heard of him prior to this story, now you have!... This is definitely an individual you want to keep an eye out for, he will be making BIG moves in the near future. Be on the lookout folks! -Mylan Murphy