Kansas freshman sensation Darryn Peterson may have just solved the mystery that plagued his standout season—and it all comes down to what was in his supplement stack.
The 6-foot-6 guard, widely projected as a potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, revealed in an interview with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that bloodwork and medical tests traced his recurring cramping issues back to high doses of creatine supplements. The revelation comes after a season where the cramping became so severe it led to a hospitalization following a September training camp organized by head coach Bill Self.
"I made it to the training room and just started begging them to call 911," Peterson told ESPN. "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."
The cramping issues limited the explosive guard to just 24 games, with additional hamstring and ankle injuries also taking their toll. Peterson asked out of multiple contests as the cramps struck mid-game, a frustrating pattern for a player with so much on the line. But by the end of the regular season, he had the problem mostly under control—just in time for a postseason run that saw the Jayhawks advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to St. John's on March 22.
Despite the setbacks, Peterson's numbers were nothing short of historic. The 19-year-old averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc. That scoring average is the highest ever by a freshman in Kansas program history—no small feat in a program that has produced NBA stars like Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Paul Pierce.
His performance earned him second-team All-Big 12 honors and a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman team. He led the conference in scoring among all players, finishing fourth overall, and ranked third in program history for freshman free-throw percentage (82.6%), fourth in free throws made (109), and sixth in 3-pointers (63).
With the root cause of his cramping now identified and manageable, Peterson's draft stock remains sky-high. Scouts rave about his innate scoring ability, shot creation and the kind of fluid athleticism that makes him a nightmare matchup on the perimeter. For a player who once feared for his life on a training table, finding this answer could be the difference between a promising college career and a legendary NBA one.