Mark Gottfried hires Antoine Pettway to bring back some magic
He received recommendations from the likes of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams.
One former head coach in particular was interested and would’ve been a terrific addition to the Alabama staff, but that coach – for personal and professional reasons – wasn’t able to make the move.
At the end of the day, Gottfried chose Pettway, who’s known, liked and respected by current and former Alabama players and current high school players alike.
Pettway spent one year as an Alabama grad assistant and the last two years as a Jacksonville State assistant. He served as the interim coach after JSU fired Mike LaPlante.
New head coach James Green was going to keep Pettway on his Jax State staff.
You can quibble with Pett-way’s age – he’ll turn 26 in November – but you can’t argue with his maturity.
He was a walk-on from Alberta who arrived at Alabama on an academic grant and earned a basketball scholarship and his degree.
He was a backup who became a starter and hit the single biggest shot – the floater in the first round to beat Southern Illinois – during Alabama’s unprecedented run to the 2004 Elite Eight.
He is the son of a coach who became a coach on and off the floor.
al.com
7/20/08
Magnolia Tribune
