Bobby Pettiford makes it official by signing with Kansas
Not long ago, Bobby Pettiford, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard from South Granville High School in Creedmoor, N.C., was all set to attend Louisville in the fall. Pettiford, the No. 115 ranked player in the 2021 class, signed a Letter-of-Intent with Coach Chris Mack and the Cardinals, during the early signing period.
However, when Louisville assistant Dino Gaudio wasn’t retained, Pettiford, a three-star prospect, ultimately made the decision to look elsewhere.
The second time around, Pettiford received serious interest from the likes Kansas, Providence, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, Texas A&M, Hampton, North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Coppin State, and others.
It has been reported that coaches from Duke and North Carolina showed interest as well. With scholarship offers on the table from coast-to-coast, Pettiford, on March 30, verbally committed to Bill Self and Kansas.
“Thanks to all the coaches that recruited me through these tough times,” said Pettiford. “With all that being said, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be committing to the University of Kansas. Jayhawk nation, stand up! Let’s go get it.”
Kansas, without question, is getting a good one in Pettiford. As a senior, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. He shot 53% (118-221) from the field, 39% (41-109) from behind the arc, and 80% (40-50) from the free-throw line.
In 104 total games, Pettiford averaged 18.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Just moments ago, Kansas head coach Bill Self talked about his latest addition.
“We were very fortunate when Bobby opened up his recruitment last month. He became a priority immediately,” Self said. “We feel Bobby has a tremendous future, great upside and will make an immediate impact for us. His work ethic and drive are something I think every program hopes every player has.”
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Pettiford’s performance earned him N.C. Basketball Coaches Association All-State honors and he was also named to the North Carolina roster for the 2021 Carolinas Classic All-Star Game. Due to health concerns associated with COVID-19, the 2021 Carolina Classic All-Star Game was canceled.
Pettiford is South Granville’s all-time leader in scoring with 1,944 career points, assists (615) and steals (288). In 2019-20, he set the school season records in points (677), assists (230), and steals (95). While at South Granville, Pettiford was part of two conference championships, two conference tournament titles, two conference player of the year awards, and a school-record 79 wins.