Contact CU Independent Editorial Manager Tommy Wood at thomas.c.wood@colorado.edu.
University of Colorado men’s basketball signed 6-foot-4 combo guards Deleon Brown and Bryce Peters to National Letters of Intent, Head Coach Tad Boyle said Wednesday morning.
“These guys are both very dynamic players,” Boyle said. “They can both pass. They can both shoot. They’ve got point guard skills but you can play them off the ball. With guards, and perimeter players in general, versatility is the key.”
Brown is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He averaged 18.8 points per game during his high school career and made all-state three times.
“He’s a terrific player,” Boyle said. “He can score the ball — an extremely fast, high level athlete. He’s got a great pull-up jump shot, can shoot from three, and get it to the rim. He’s a guy that’s really going to help us.”
Brown graduated from high school last year and is spending this season at Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire. Buff sophomores Tory Miller and Josh Repine took a similar path to college.
“The transition for those guys from prep school to college is much smoother and easier than it is from high school to college,” Boyle said.
Peters is a three-star recruit from La Puente, California. He averaged 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season. He led Damien High School to the CIF Division III state championship, and nearly had a double-double in the final.
“Bryce can score the ball in a lot of different ways,” Boyle said. “He’s fearless; he exerts his will on the game. There’s an aggressiveness about him especially offensively that’s going to allow him to make plays and I think he could have an impact right away.”
Peters played and grew up with Spencer Dinwiddie, the former Buffs guard who’s now in his second year with the Detroit Pistons, and his relationship with Dinwiddie sold Peters on Colorado from the start.
“I had gotten to know Spencer really well, and once I got to know the program I knew right then and there,” Peters said. “It is a great family atmosphere, especially with the players; we really clicked. I feel like I’m already in Boulder pretty much.”
Peters and Brown will take the scholarships spots of graduating seniors Xavier Talton and Eli Stalzer. Forward Josh Scott will also graduate after this year; the Buffs have yet to fill his spot.
