PHOENIX – MVP chants echoed throughout the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for freshman guard Koa Peat as he stepped up to the free-throw line Wednesday night. The 6'8" freshman’s 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks contributed mightily to Perry’s first 6A boys basketball championship in school history.
Even though Koa is a freshman, he is no stranger to the state championship scene as he was a spectator from 2012-2015.
Koa is the youngest of seven children. He has grown up around sports his entire life, as his father, Todd Peat, played six seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman. Three of his older brothers played Division I college football. Two sisters who played Division I college basketball.
One of his older brothers, Andrus Peat, is an offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints. Ten years ago Andrus cut down the nets after winning a state title during his senior year at Corona del Sol.
That championship roster in 2012 also consisted of freshman Cassius Peat, another big brother. Cassius knows all too well about the pressures Koa may feel about being a freshman on a championship team.
“It’s a lot of pressure but he’s handling it well,” Cassius said before Wednesday night's game. “If you watched him play, you couldn’t even tell he was a freshman.”
Playing on the big stage and winning championships is all that Koa worked for. His mother, Jana Peat, has a front-row seat to her youngest’s hard work.
“He’s watched his brothers do this and his sisters,” Jana said. “He’s worked so hard to get here and he took a lot of time to decide what high school he was going to go to as well. He wants to win state championships. That’s why he chose Perry.”
Koa has big shoes to fill as Cassius continued to cut the nylon down three more times after his freshman year at Corona del Sol. He was the reigning champion from 2012-2015, which gave the Perry freshman something to chase.
“Honestly just looking up to him and trying to be like him when I was younger,” Koa said about Cassius, who is now the freshman boys basketball coach at Mountain Pointe.
Just like his brothers, Koa has a championship ring even though he didn’t follow his brothers to Corona del Sol. The one common denominator involved in all the Peat brothers’ championship success? Head coach Sam Duane, Jr.
“We bought a house [in the Perry] neighborhood three years ago so that both of our young boys could go to Perry,” Jana said. “Keona, who’s sixteen, chose to stay at Corona, but Koa chose his own destiny and chose Perry so he could play for Duane.”
Duane Jr. was the head coach for Corona del Sol for 12 years. He won four straight state titles from 2012-2015 with Andrus and Cassius. The Peat family is very familiar with Duane Jr., which played a huge role in Koa's desire to attend Perry.
“He’s just someone that my family trusts, especially with a talent like Koa,” Cassius said while wearing all four rings. “You know you got to make sure you send him to the right coach who can watch over him and make sure that he’s doing everything the right way.”
“Coach Duane is a great person; we know his father [Sam Duane, Sr.] as well,” Jana said. “Koa use to go to their basketball camps when he was a little baby, like five years old. Coach Duane has been a wonderful human being and a wonderful coach to all of our sons.”
“He knows what kind of man he is, what kind of coach he is,” Andrus said. “I wouldn’t want him to play for any other coach, I’m excited he’s here with coach Duane.”
However, not everyone wanted Koa to attend Perry at first.
“I was fighting it all along because I wanted him to go to Corona with his brother and my other grandson who is a sophomore and plays basketball,” Koa’s grandmother Susan Ewing, said. “Everybody else went to Corona, but he really liked that Duane would make him get to the next level that he wanted to be at.”
Duane Jr.’s relationship with the Peat family did not just start when Andrus started high school in 2008. Their relationship began when they were just little boys learning the game.
“Coach Duane has been great,” Andrus said. “We grew up going to his basketball camps so the life lessons and everything that comes with it has been a great influence on us.”
Duane Jr. continued to have an influence through the boys high school years as well.
“Coach Duane was like a second father to me at the time,” Cassius said. “He always made sure I was on top of my grades and always doing the right thing in the community. He always pushed me to be the best I can be on and off the basketball court, in the classroom, too.”
Winning a championship with a freshman like Koa leaves Duane Jr. excited for the next three years.
“It’s a great feeling,” Duane Jr. said. “He’s going to have to go after Cassius.”
The impact that Duane Jr. has played on the Peat family is already evident to Koa as he says Duane Jr. is a blessing to their family.
The feelings are mutual and both parties feel confident in the outcome of the game if a Peat or Duane are involved.
“I told Koa before the game today, ‘Cassius texted me this morning and he said, ‘Coach, Peats win championships!’’ and [Koa] got it done tonight,” Duane Jr. said.
All five of Duane Jr.’s championships have involved a member of the Peat family. Can Perry add three more titles with a 6’8”, 15 year-old powerhouse in Koa?
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