Perry (Gilbert) suffered a major blow in its quest for a fourth consecutive state championship in Arizona's highest classification as five-star senior
Koa Peat has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hand injury according to a
report from Richard Obert of AZCentral.com.
The Pumas are ranked No. 7 in the MaxPreps Top 25 with a record of 24-2 on the season. They face
Ironwood (Glendale) in the Open Division state quarterfinals tonight in their first game without Peat this season.
Although the three-time defending state champions will have an uphill climb without the two-time reigning MaxPreps Arizona Player of the Year, the Pumas still have the talent to contend.
Five-star senior Koa Peat is one of the most accomplished players in Arizona high school basketball history. (Photo: Daniel Collins)
Top 10 sophomore
Bruce Branch III, Missouri-Kansas City commit
DeAndre Harrison, senior guard
Dominic Avalos and senior guard
NoNo Brown will all see increased roles after the injury.
Peat ends his career as one of the most successful players in Arizona history and was in the midst of another dominant season. He was averaging 18.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game and earned a spot on the MaxPreps National Player of the Year watch list last month.
The 6-foot-8 forward earned first team MaxPreps Junior All-America honors last season and was named state player of the year for the second straight season after averaging 20.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 blocks per contest.
Peat also earned first team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America honors in 2022-23 after putting up 19.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
He was named to the first team MaxPreps Freshman All-America team in 2021-22 as well with averages of 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.
Over the course of his storied four-year career, Peat helped Perry go 104-14. Despite the injury, he remains a front-runner to win his third consecutive MaxPreps Arizona Player of the Year honors.
Regarded as the No. 8 prospect in the Class of 2025 according to
247Sports, Peat has narrowed his college options down to five schools with Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston and Texas making the final cut.
