2028 guard Darian Proctor is set to play for the Tilton School (Tilton, N.H.) this upcoming school season, leaving his home state of Colorado.
However, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound prospect may be back in the Box State within a few years; the Colorado Buffaloes had him and two other 2028 TruColorado 3SSB teammates – guard Montae Johnson and forward Kayden Patrick – unofficially on campus on July 24.
“It's definitely a blessing to have my hometown school be interested in me as a player,” Proctor told BuffStampede.com. “I loved the visit. The facilities were amazing. The coaches were amazing. I feel like the program they're building over there is amazing, and it’d definitely be a blessing to get the chance to play for them.”
The Black-and-Gold began to take notice of the talented guard during the 3SSB Championships, where Proctor, Johnson and Patrick led TruColorado to the Elite Eight. But Proctor had been lighting up the circuit all summer. He averaged 14.2 points per game on 52.3/41.2/79.5 shooting splits, along with 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Despite being 6-foot-1, Proctor is quite quick, offering an explosive first step, unpredictable changes of direction and disruptive hands on defense. While his speed and explosiveness get him to his spots, Proctor has nice touch around the rim and on his jump shot, allowing him to finish at all three levels. Plus, he has nice balance to score off the dribble, finish through contact and find his shot after several pivots or fakes
“I’d say I have a good pace,” Proctor said. “That's a big thing in my game, with my footwork and my pace. I've always been taught that from a young age.”
What makes Proctor stand out beyond his scoring, though, is his willingness to take care of other facets of the game.
While having the ball in his hands a lot as a scorer, he knows how to get his teammates involved. He can play off the ball, too, noting that he likes coming off stagger screens due to the variety of options within the action.
“I feel like I can control the game or impact the game in any set of offense,” he said.
And even though his game stands out for his offensive impact, he understands he can’t force what happens on that side of the floor. Instead, he focuses on defense to keep him going, trying to make things harder on his opponents and keeping high energy in hopes of turning defense into offense.
“I get myself going on the defensive side for sure,” Proctor said. “Maybe get a steal, get a layup. That's an easy way to do that. You can always control your defense.”
Given what Proctor brings to the court, Colorado is not the only school to contact him.
Alcorn State extended an offer in 2023, and Nebraska and Lehigh are looking to get the guard on campus in August and September. Northern Colorado, Boise State, Chicago State, Butler and Weber State also have displayed interest.
“Loyalty is a big thing for me in the next year or so in where I want to go to college and play at,” Proctor said. “I say loyalty is a big thing for me. If you jump on me early, if you talk to me, I'll definitely say that keeps me interested.”
Waiting until the payoff
Proctor’s journey appears to be at the very beginning. After a strong AAU season increased his confidence and earned college interest, he’s heading to Tilton School to play under legendary New England high school hoops coach Marcus O’Neil, who has developed guys like Nerlens Noel and Wayne Selden Jr. The possibilities feel endless.
Yet, Proctor’s path is already somewhat storied.
“I wasn't really that good,” Proctor said about his middle school days.
Being the son of former Montana State Billings guard Antoine Proctor, basketball has always been in Proctor’s blood. He started playing competitively in fourth grade and had played on the Under Armour, Nike and Adidas circuits by the end of middle school.
Still, Proctor said he didn’t feel prepared for each of the levels.
Once he got to high school, Proctor began to make the jump into what he is now. He felt comfortable in his body, the ball was on a tighter string and he had a larger role. But while he was an impactful player at Cherry Creek High (Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Overland High (Aurora, Colo.), averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists this past year, he still had more to accomplish, which was hard amid transitioning schools.
“I'll say playing under a new team right away, at first, I was like, ‘I don't know if I should have done that. It wasn't a great move,’” Proctor said. “But then later into the year, we started seeing me play like who I know I could and like how I should have been playing all along. And yeah, my coaches just stayed in my ear, keeping me positive, really helped with that.
“AAU is where I really started to recognize like my identity,” Proctor continued. “Like in high school, I wasn't the first scorer. I wasn't none of that. I wasn't the best defender. So really seeing how AAU shaped me, it brought me a level of confidence I needed.”
Proctor named several summer performances that stood out, including a 21-point, four-assist showing against Anthony Edwards' Five squad. And he got to meet several former NBA players on the circuit.
Through it all, though, Proctor has also had two aspects to lean on: faith and his father.
“He had me when he was still pursuing his dreams,” Proctor said. “So I'll probably say that was the biggest motivation for me in getting me around basketball was him. And yeah, he's still my mentor to this day. We make a lot of decisions together. He influences me and helps me make a lot of decisions.”
In the classroom, Proctor finished his sophomore year with a GPA above 3.4 and mentioned an interest in engineering and architecture.
Coaches Mentioned
Recruits Mentioned
