Future KU point guard Pettiford known for athleticism: ‘He can play above the rim’
Bobby Pettiford, who orally committed to play basketball at Kansas on Tuesday — just a few days after decommitting from Louisville — has been called, “one of the most aggressive guards in the Class of 2021,” by analyst Eric Bossi of 247sports.com.
“He can play above the rim. He gets into the lane, defends at the point of attack and never backs down from a fight,” Bossi wrote in response to KU’s landing Pettiford, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior point guard from South Granville High School in Creedmoor, North Carolina.
“Just last week, Pettiford explained that he’s worked hard to improve his all-around game and become a much better jump shooter,” Bossi added of Pettiford. He averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals a game his senior season at South Granville. Pettiford hit 53% of his shots, including 39% of his three-pointers and 80% of his free throws.
Pettiford had initially committed to Louisville in the summer of 2020 but reopened his recruiting Saturday after Cardinals assistant Dino Gaudio, who recruited Pettiford, left the Louisville program. He chose KU over Maryland, Georgia, Providence, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Hampton, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, Coppin State and others.
“In terms of his game, he has insane control of the ball — his first step, his quickness, his shiftiness, his body control. He looks like an NFL middle linebacker from the waist down. He has huge Saquon Barkley-type legs,” Pettiford’s high school coach, Jake Wohlfeil, told bvmsports.com.
Pettiford is currently ranked No. 115 in the recruiting Class of 2021 according to Rivals.com, No. 95 by ESPN.com, No. 88 by 247sports.com and No. 82 by SI.com.
“He has very good vision. He’s a very good passer and can finish around the basket or above the rim,” Wohlfeil stated. “He always had a very nice looking shot — good lift, good form, great rotation, but he wasn’t a great outside shooter. Now he can really stroke the ball.”
Wohlfeil, who played college basketball at Campbell University, has spoken with NBA player Chris Paul about Pettiford. Pettiford played for Paul’s AAU program, Team CP3, for five years.
“Coming from Chris Paul, he has NBA potential,” Wohlfeil told bvmsports.com. “He still has a long way to go. He’s not a one-and-done type kid yet. But he’s that kind of kid that his ceiling has not even been scratched yet. His physical gifts are unlimited.”
In discussing South Granville’s prize player, Wohlfeil told Phenom Hoop Report: “He is just as good off the court as he is on the court. Bobby has incredible athleticism. His explosiveness, strength, body control, and ball handling are elite. He has a unique desire to compete and win. His leadership has come a long way. He is our voice. He leads by example and with his vocal confidence he instills in his teammates. He is a dream player to coach.”
Patrick O’Brien of Phenom Hoop Report has scouted Pettiford for that recruiting Website.
“Pettiford is an undervalued guard nationally but I really do think he could be a tremendous piece for the Jayhawks, O’Brien wrote Tuesday. “Kansas has found success with North Carolina guards before, with the latest in Devon Dotson. Pettiford is strong in being a lead guard, really being exceptional in the open court, something Kansas has had in the past before.
“He is quick and explosive but also brings nice strength to the table. He is known for his scoring. He has also continued to make strides with his outside shooting. A blend of strength, quickness, and scoring ability on multiple levels, Pettiford could really be a tremendous fit at Kansas over the next few years.”
Phenom Hoop Report’s official scouting report of Pettiford spoke glowingly of the player.
“He is a star in the making. He has a unique blend of athleticism and an advanced skill set. He can score from all three levels and has the ability to create scoring opportunities for himself or for his teammates. Simply put, Pettiford has the ability to make the difficult move look easy. In addition, Pettiford is extremely efficient going left and finishing at the rim or dropping dimes to open teammates.
“Pettiford’s ability to get downhill with his athleticism and strength was almost unstoppable (this past season). He has low handles and can lull you asleep at times, but shows his burst to get to the rim and finish tough. “
The scouting report continued … “He’s an incredible all-around athlete that chooses to play at constant breakneck speeds. Pettiford securing a rebound or even getting an inbounds pass is an instant fastbreak opportunity, which cannot be said for a vast majority of point guards across the country. He’s so ridiculously fast in the open floor that opponents can only hope to slow him down because they are certainly not stopping him. Pettiford has excellent vision and pinpoint passing instincts from legitimately anywhere on the court, which only makes him tougher to contain. He gets downhill whenever he wants and has the burst to rise up and finish against anyone but also sets up others quite regularly. Pettiford is a reliable defender with mirror-like quickness and positioning, which allows him to force on-ball turnovers at a terrific rate.”
Carolina/KU connection at the point
The KU/North Carolina connection continues with Pettiford’s commitment. KU has had recent success recruiting point guards from North Carolina in Devonté Graham and Dotson.
“I looked at that a lot,” Pettiford told 247sports.com’s Bossi. “That shows what they (KU point guards from Carolina) can do. Them being from North Carolina and my game really compares to Devon and to see that I could have a chance was big.”
Will Carolina’s Aidoo consider KU?
KU may now have a shot at landing Jonas Aidoo, a 7-foot, 215-pound senior center from Liberty Heights High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, who is ranked No. 33 in the recruiting Class of 2021 according to Rivals.com.
Aidoo, a friend of Pettiford, withdrew his commitment from Marquette on Monday. He initially chose Marquette over KU, Houston, South Carolina, Miami, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia, Tennessee and Providence.
Aidoo sent a Twitter message to Pettiford on Tuesday after Pettiford committed to KU.
“Congrats my boy!” Aidoo tweeted.
Pettiford sent Aidoo a Twitter message responding to Aidoo’s tweet indicating he’d reopened his recruitment.
“Cousin what you tryna do,” Pettiford wrote to Aidoo.
KU, which has lost Tyon Grant-Foster and Tristan Enaruna to the transfer portal Monday and Tuesday, has one scholarship remaining at this time to award in the recruiting Class of 2021. KU has been recruiting a senior high school point guard in TyTy Washington, 6-4, 180-pounds from Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona.
Washington, who withdrew his Creighton commitment March 11, reported March 14 on Twitter he’d been offered a scholarship by KU. He’s ranked No. 32 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com. Washington KU, Arizona, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas Tech, UCLA, Kentucky, Arizona State, Duke, Dayton, DePaul, Texas A&M, Pitt and others.
KU has offered a scholarship to 6-3 KC Roos graduate transfer point guard Brandon McKissic, who has a final six of KU, Missouri, Kansas State, Florida, Saint Louis and Oregon State.. He has said he will announce his transfer destination this week.
KU has signed Zach Clemence, a 6-10, 205-pound senior forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas and K.J. Adams, a 6-7, 220-pound senior power forward from Westlake High in Austin, Texas. KU has received a commitment from junior college power forward Sydney Curry, 6-8, 265 pounds out of Logan Community College in Carterville, Illinois. Clemence is ranked No. 35 and Adams No. 73 nationally by Rivals.com.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Future KU point guard Pettiford known for athleticism: ‘He can play above the rim’."
