RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – A year removed from capping his sensational three-year career on the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team, the dream of playing professional basketball at the highest level became a reality for Taelon Peter on the night of June 26, 2025 as he was drafted in the second round and 54^th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.
 
A native of Russellville, Peter came back to his hometown to play basketball at Arkansas Tech in 2021-22 after spending his true freshman college season at Tennessee Tech University. In his three seasons as a hometown Wonder Boy, Peter would score over 1,300 points and was one of the most highly-efficient scorers in the country during that time with a 48% average overall, 37% average from three-point range and an 83% average from the free throw line.
 
In his final year at Tech in 2023-24, Peter would turn in a memorable season for the record books. That year, Peter averaged 18.5 points per game and shot 50% overall from the field, 41% from three-point range and 87% from the free throw line. Peter's offensive production helped lead the team to their first conference regular season championship since 2013-14 as well as their first conference tournament title since 2014-15.
 
Individually, Peter would go on to be lauded as the GAC Player of the Year and receive first team all-region acclaim as well.
 
Peter's final year of collegiate eligibility this past season saw him transfer to Division I Liberty University where he helped the Flames capture the regular season and tournament championships in Conference USA.
 
In his lone year at Liberty, Peter was an offensive weapon off the bench and led the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg despite only starting two games. He would be named the CUSA Sixth Player of the Year, Third Team All-CUSA and land on the CUSA Championship All-Tournament team.
 
Peter joins a pair of Wonder Boy greats with strong and direct ties to Tech to be drafted in the NBA and is the first since Kenny Saylors was drafted by the then St. Louis Hawks in the second round of the 1963 NBA Draft. Deward Dopson was also drafted into the NBA, doing so as a sixth round pick by the then Minnesota Lakers.