Deron Rippey Jr.

Last updated
Deron Rippey Jr.
Blair Buccaneers
Position Point guard
Personal information
Born (2007-08-01) August 1, 2007 (age 18)
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Blair Academy
(Blairstown, New Jersey)

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

  1. "Deron Rippey Jr". FIBA.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lance, Sam (December 30, 2025). "The story of top point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and his road to Duke". On3.com .
  3. Gould, Brandon (March 20, 2025). "5-star boys basketball prospect named 2025 Gatorade N.J. Player of the Year". NJ.com .
  4. 1 2 Snyder, Anna (December 30, 2025). "What 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. brings to Duke basketball". The Fayetteville Observer .
  5. 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)
  6. Drummond, Cameron (August 3, 2025). "Top point guard recruit to visit Wildcats". Lexington Herald-Leader . p. 1B, 6B via Newspapers.com.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Alexander, Chip (December 30, 2025). "Top recruit Deron Rippey had Duke, NC State in his finalists. Here's his choice". The News & Observer .
  10. 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.