Kansas star Darryn Peterson recounts 'traumatic' experience with full-body cramps early in the season
The Kansas freshman got in-depth on the health struggles that have limited his availability
One of the biggest storylines of the 2025-26 college basketball season has been the availability -- or sometimes, the lack thereof -- of Kansas star guard Darryn Peterson. Peterson, a potential candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, missed 11 games during the regular season due to cramping and hamstring issues.
Following Kansas' 69-47 loss to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Saturday, Peterson opened up about the cramping issues in an interview with the Kansas City Star. Peterson described how the full-body cramping was a "traumatic experience," which resulted in him having to go to the hospital at one point to receive intravenous fluids.
"I had like a full-body (cramp), super serious," Peterson said. "You could say it was traumatic. I would say it was a traumatic experience."
The good news for Peterson and Kansas is that his availability has been more consistent. Peterson has played in nine consecutive games since being ruled out less than an hour before tipoff against then-No. 1 Arizona at home last month. In the Big 12 quarterfinals against TCU, Peterson logged a season-high 37 minutes.
In the interview with The Star, Peterson admitted he never considered shutting down for the season while going through the cramping issues. However, Peterson wishes he had done some things differently over the past few months.
"There was some foolish stuff being said, but I could have probably did better in probably (getting) in front of it instead of people making stuff up," Peterson said. "It's over now, but don't nobody say nothing about me finishing games and stuff now, which is funny to me. But I don't really care. I am just glad I am feeling better."
The key to Kansas getting out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 might come down to Peterson. Peterson's father, Darryl Peterson, opened up to CBS Sports last month about his son's journey, saying that he was "grateful for this year, this season and what's to come."
Peterson is averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 22 games this season. In CBS Sports' latest Bracketology projections, Kansas is a No. 4 seed. The Jayhawks will know where and who they're playing next when the bracket is released on CBS during Selection Sunday.
