Washington took another step in retooling its roster by securing a commitment from East Tennessee State guard. The standout guard averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season, earning Southern Conference Player of the Year honors. He has one year of eligibility left.
A 6’1″ guard, began his college journey at Indiana State before transferring to junior college, where he played a season at John Logan College. There, he posted solid numbers—13.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game—before moving on to East Tennessee State.
At ETSU, he immediately stepped into the starting point guard role and delivered stats similar to his JUCO output. However, this past season, he made a significant leap, especially with his shooting. He improved his 3-point percentage from 29.1% to 42.1%, which helped raise his scoring average by around five points. ETSU finished 19-12 (12-6 in conference play), though they were upset in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament despite a 22-point effort from Peterson.
When evaluating high-scoring transfers from smaller leagues, efficiency and level of competition are key. Efficiency wasn’t an issue for Peterson—he shot 49% from two, 42% from three, and 74% from the free-throw line. His finishing at the rim could be stronger, but if Washington gets anything close to those numbers, they’ll be thrilled.
The level of competition is a fair concern. ETSU didn’t face a single top-95 KenPom team this year. Ironically, Washington was the only Big Ten team to also fall outside that range. That said, over the past two seasons, Peterson has played in 14 games that approach Q1/Q2 levels of competition and held up well with 43/38/80 shooting splits.
Beyond his scoring, Peterson contributes in other areas too. His assist rate has hovered between 24.5% and 25.8%, with a turnover rate between 14.4% and 16.9% over the last two seasons—comparable to Zoom Diallo’s 24.3/18.9 rates at Washington this year. So while Peterson isn’t a classic pass-first point guard, he can certainly run the offense.
Defensively, Peterson also stands out. He ranked second in the SoCon in steal rate and fifth in fewest fouls committed, showing he can create turnovers without sacrificing discipline. Few players lead their conference in both scoring and steals per game.
Peterson is Washington’s third addition in just two days. The Huskies also landed Rutgers transfer big man Lathan Sommerville and German forward Hannes Steinbach.