Darryn Peterson, a top draft prospect from Kansas, has identified high doses of creatine as the cause of his cramping issues that affected his college season. Despite these challenges, he remains a likely top-four pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Key points
Darryn Peterson is a top draft prospect from Kansas.
He experienced cramping issues due to high doses of creatine.
Peterson played in 24 of 35 games this season.
He is likely to be a top-four pick in the NBA Draft.
A.J. Dybantsa is currently favored to go No. 1 in the draft.
Peterson played in just 24 of Kansas' 35 games this season and played 30 minutes or more in 13 of those games. During the season it was reported that Peterson experienced a full-body cramp during a preseason boot camp held by Kansas coach Bill Self, and that continued cramps and also fear of another more intense cramps led Peterson to ask out of games. Peterson was the No. 1 recruit in the freshman class of 2025 and he entered the season as the front-runner to be the No. 1 pick, but the mystery surrounding his condition led him to slip on some draft boards in a loaded class.
With the pre-draft process kicking off this week with the lottery and NBA Draft Combine, he's still considered likely to be taken in the top four, but BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa is considered the player most likely to go No. 1 and Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson appear to be on close to equal footing with Peterson.
Wayman Tisdale with the Indiana Pacers in 1988.
10-02-97///Pacers center Rik Smits was all smiles as he joked with reporters on media day at Market Square Arena.
Q&A
What caused Darryn Peterson's cramping issues during his college season?
Darryn Peterson attributed his cramping issues to high doses of creatine.
How many games did Darryn Peterson play in his college season?
Darryn Peterson played in 24 out of 35 games during his college season.
What is Darryn Peterson's draft status for the upcoming NBA Draft?
Darryn Peterson is still considered likely to be selected in the top four of the NBA Draft.
Who are the other top prospects competing with Darryn Peterson in the draft?
A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are other top prospects in the draft alongside Darryn Peterson.
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Peterson told Shelburne that, after the season, doctors found through bloodwork that he was taking too much Creatine -- a well-known muscle-building supplement -- in an effort to bulk up before the season started.
"I'd never taken it before (going to college)," Peterson told Shelburne. "But after the season I took two weeks off and they did tests which showed my baseline level was already high. So, they said when I dosed (a process of increasing a dose over time to create maximum benefit at the beginning of taking a supplement), it must've made the levels unsafe."
According to the story, Peterson's full-body cramp started with his legs, but then extended to his stomach, back, arms and hands, alarming him to the point that an ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital.
"I made it to the training room and just started begging them to call 911," Peterson told Shelburne "They were trying to get a vein to get me the IV, get me back hydrated. But I was cramping so hard they couldn't get a vein. I thought I was going to die on the training table that day."
Peterson said the experience put in his mind a fear that it could happen again at any point, which in turn affected the rest of his season.
"Whenever I felt anything like that come on, my initial thought was that it might get to that again," Peterson told Shelburne. "And I can't let that happen and be embarrassed and have that on TV and all that. It kind of put me in a tizzy because I didn't know what was causing it. Nothing has ever been wrong with me before. Basketball is my life. What I love to do. But something was going on and I couldn't figure it out."
However, Peterson also kept most of the details of the incident under wraps for most of the season which allowed for sports talk show speculation nationwide. Some commentators went so far as to wonder if Peterson even enjoyed playing basketball.
"My biggest thing was I'm going to keep trying because we don't know what's wrong and we can't say something's wrong," Peterson told Shelburne. "So, I'm going to go out there and when it happens, I'm going to ask to come out. I don't know if that was a right or wrong move. But when I committed to Kansas, I told Coach (Self), 'I'm going to do whatever I can. I'm going to try to help you get a championship. I'm going to be out there for my teammates and for you guys.' So, I tried to hold up my end of the deal, trying to be out there."
Peterson still averaged 20.2 points per game and was named second-team All-Big 12, but Kansas went 24-11 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to St. John's. In a season dominated by freshmen, his season was considered a disappointment with Boozer earning consensus national player of the year honors, Dybantsa leading Division I in scoring and six freshmen including them and Wilson being named first- or second-team All-Americans.
