Deron Rippey Jr.
| Blair Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 1, 2007 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey) |
| Career highlights | |
Deron Rippey Jr. (born August 1, 2007) is an American basketball player at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. He is a five-star prospect and one of the top recruits in the class of 2026.
Early life
Rippey was born on August 1, 2007.[1] The youngest of five children, Rippey's four sisters each played basketball, and his father played college basketball for the East Carolina Pirates.[2] Rippey played basketball from a young age and started competing in tournaments at age nine.[2] From sixth grade through eighth grade, he attended The Rectory School in Connecticut, where he helped the basketball team compile a record of 11–3 with a championship in his last year.[2] He then enrolled at Blair Academy in New Jersey, serving as the team's sixth man as a freshman and then becoming their starting point guard as a sophomore.[2]
As a junior in 2024–25, Rippey averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game and was named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year.[3] He led Blair to the state championship, where he posted a triple-double, recording 16 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in an 88–75 win over The Patrick School.[4] After his junior year, he played in the Adidas 3SSB circuit, averaging 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists.[5]
A five-star recruit, Rippey is a consensus top-20 prospect nationally.[6][7] He is also the number one ranked point guard recruit and the top recruit in New Jersey.[4][8] He committed to play college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.[9][10]
References
- ^ "Deron Rippey Jr". FIBA.
- ^ a b c d Lance, Sam (December 30, 2025). "The story of top point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and his road to Duke". On3.com.
- ^ Gould, Brandon (March 20, 2025). "5-star boys basketball prospect named 2025 Gatorade N.J. Player of the Year". NJ.com.
- ^ a b Snyder, Anna (December 30, 2025). "What 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. brings to Duke basketball". The Fayetteville Observer.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (December 30, 2025). "Duke lands prized PG Deron Rippey Jr., third 2026 5-star commitment". ESPN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Drummond, Cameron (August 3, 2025). "Top point guard recruit to visit Wildcats". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 1B, 6B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bedore, Gary (August 10, 2025). "Top 10-ranked point guard Deron Rippey Jr. to make recruiting visit to Kansas". The Kansas City Star. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Drummond, Cameron (October 1, 2025). "After missing on Taylen Kinney, which 2026 guards is UK basketball recruiting?". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alexander, Chip (December 30, 2025). "Top recruit Deron Rippey had Duke, NC State in his finalists. Here's his choice". The News & Observer.
- ^ Cobb, David (December 30, 2025). "Duke basketball recruiting: Top PG Deron Rippey Jr. commits to Blue Devils, giving them No. 1 class for 2026". CBS Sports.