Hard Work Pays Off for Peters
Ryan Peters has exceeded expectations since arriving on North Field Mount Hermon’s campus two years ago.
“He went from a kid we expected to be on our B team to the starting point guard on our varsity team,” said NMH head coach John Carroll.
The source of Peters’ success is no secret as he simply outworks the competition.
“One of the hardest working kids I’ve ever coached,” Carroll says repeatedly when talking about his senior guard.
But that hard works goes beyond just the basketball floor. He’s also proven is worth in the weight room, putting on 27 pounds of muscle in the last 18 months, as well as the classroom.
“He’s absolutely one of the most committed kids you’ll find,” Carroll continued, “to his game, his body, and his mind.”
And now all of that hard work has paid off for the California native as he is finally about to realize his dream of playing division I basketball. On Wednesday, Peters made a commitment to Lehigh University and head coach Brett Reed.
“Coach Reed and the rest of their staff felt that I would fill a void in their program,” Peters said. “As a team I guess they struggled a little bit at the end of the year with their shooting and defensive intensity, so when they re-evaluated what they were looking for, that’s where I came in.”
Ultimately, Peters was a perfect match for what Lehigh was looking for. With a veteran laden club set to return next year they needed to find someone who was comfortable coming in and being a role player. That person would be looked at to raise the level of intensity in practice, learn on the job, and also spot minutes whenever the Mountain Hawks needed to space the floor with shooters offensively or get a big stop defensively.
“They’ve got some seniors and other good players coming back. I look forward to going in there and learning as a freshman, then being ready to take on a bigger role as a sophomore,” he said. “I know my hard work will be appreciated.”
But the opportunity to go to Lehigh also goes beyond the basketball floor for Peters, who hopes to go on to medical school and maybe even be an orthopedic surgeon one day. Lehigh’s pre-med program is second to none, boasting an 88% acceptance rate into medical school.
“It’s always been important for me to surround myself with people who believe in my dreams and abilities,” Peters said. “I found that at NMH and I felt that was going to be there at Lehigh as well.”
Peters is the fifth member of this year’s NMH team to commit to a division I school and the 19th in the last three years.
Ryan Peters