Koa Peat is Writing His Own Legacy as a Top-Ranked Star at Perry HS
By the time the calendar flipped to 2025, Koa Peat could see the finish line—on his incredible high school career and on the process that would determine his next step. On this particular mid-January weekend, he had time to knock out the photo shoot that accompanies this story; two days later, he led his Perry (AZ) High squad to another win. The Pumas held a top-10 national ranking and were on pace for a fourth straight state championship.
The 6-7, 235-pound forward knows about top-10 national rankings—Peat has been a fixture in that spot in the 2025 class for years now. At press time, he was arguably the top remaining undecided senior in the country, with Baylor, Houston and Texas vying with in-state rivals Arizona and Arizona State on his list of finalists. “I’m still figuring it out, so I don’t have a timeline,” he said. “I’m just taking it day by day.”
It’s a healthy approach, and it speaks to the confidence with which Peat operates on and off the court. Growing up surrounded by high-level athletes probably has something to do with it. The son of former NFL lineman Todd Peat, he came up the youngest of seven and watched his older brothers star in football—among them Andrus, a 10-year NFL vet who spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Keona, currently at Arizona State—while his sisters Leilani and Maya both hooped in college. All of that had an effect.
“Obviously my parents supported me in whatever I did,” Koa says, “but as a competitor, watching my brothers and sisters since I was little inspired me.”
https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/slam-254/koa-peat-is-writing-his-own-legacy-as-a-top-ranked-star-at-perry-hs/