Peters recaps stellar senior season
While Damien fell short of its goal of winning a second straight Division III state championship, Colorado signee Bryce Peters and his Spartan teammates have a lot to be proud of when looking back on the 2015-16 basketball season.
Damien won 25 games under new head coach Mike LeDuc, including a victory over Crespi in the playoffs. Individually, Peters put together one of the best seasons in school history despite drawing added pressure from opposing defenses in nearly every game.
“I saw triangle-and-two defenses, I saw box-and-one defenses, I faced one-three-one-traps when I got the ball past half-court. It was all over the place,” said Peters, a 6-foot-4 guard. “The only team I would say that really didn't change anything was Chino Hills. They played straight-up (and Peters scored 31 in that game).
“It made me learn how to trust my teammates more because when there was more pressure on me and more defenders on me, I learned how to get off the ball and be able to direct my teammates without the ball in my hands.”
Peters still found a way to make lots of plays with the ball in his hands. His 25 points per game average was the second-best for a season in Damien history. He also set school records for most free-throws made in a game (19-for-19), most points scored in a home game (44) and most three-pointers in a home game (9).
“My shooting got way better than last year,” Peters said. “My ability to catch and shoot was much more efficient and my ability to lead improved. Jeremy Hemsley (who is now at San Diego State) led us last year so I showed my ability to take over the leading role.”
Although honors teams in California for the 2015-16 season have not been announced yet, there is no question Peters will be a member of numerous lists. He jumped into the Rivals150 after excelling on the AAU circuit last summer and for Damien this winter.
It would be easy for him to kick up his feet, relax and enjoy his final days as a high school student. But Peters said he wants to improve his conditioning before departing for Boulder in early June.
“I feel anything but laid back right now. My mom told me, 'no days off.' So I have been working out,” Peters said. “This week I start working out five days a week and I still continue to work with my club ball program before they leave for Las Vegas. I am just really anxious to leave and get to Colorado. I can't wait to finish high school.”
Back in November, Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle said he believes Peters “could have an impact right away" at Colorado. The Buffs' coaches have told Peters they expect him to play primarily as a point guard, but he has the ability to play off the ball as well.
“Coach Boyle speaks highly of me and I really do appreciate it. He speaks highly of our other [signee] Deleon Brown, too,” Peters said. “He sees me playing right away, as soon as I get there. Although it is hard to come in as a freshman in the Pac-12, I definitely want to be able to make an impact.
"They were always asking me how many three-pointers I was making in games because I know they shoot a lot of threes. They wanted me to work on my free-throws and I shot 94 percent from the free-throw line during the season. And defensively they just want me to help them contain the opposing point guard because they know I am a bigger guard than what they have there at Colorado right now.”
From 1,000 miles away, Peters enjoyed watching the Buffs win 22 games and reach the NCAA Tournament. And now he is anxious to get to Boulder to begin building on-court chemistry with Colorado's returning players.
“Honestly I just want to impact the program in a positive way,” he said. “As soon as Colorado offered me a scholarship, I saw myself playing there right away. A lot of people have underestimated Colorado in the past and I can't wait to help them continue to prove people wrong.”
