Bobby Pettiford on Kansas: "It's a perfect opportunity"
After watching Tyon Grant-Foster hit the transfer portal on Monday and Tristan Enaruna on Tuesday, Bill Self and his staff receiving some welcoming news on Tuesday afternoon.
Bobby Pettiford, the 6-foot-0, 170-pound point guard from South Granville High School in Creedmoor, N.C., verbally committed to Kansas. Pettiford, the No. 115 ranked player in the class, took to Twitter.com to announce his decision.
“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.”
Having originally signed with Louisville, Pettiford, the No. 21 ranked point guard in the class, is no stranger to the recruiting process. Before signing with Louisville, Pettiford had received scholarship offers from East Carolina, Elon, High Point, Maryland, Mississippi, Providence, Tulsa, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and others.
During his career at Granville High School, Pettiford averaged 18.7 points and 5.1 rebounds, while dishing out an average of 5.9 assists in 104 career games. During his senior season, Pettiford hit 53% of his shots, including 39% on 3-pointers and 80% on free throws.
Pettiford was all set to attend Louisville, but when assistant coach Dino Gaudio wasn’t retained, he ultimately decided 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.
After conducting a number of zoom calls, including one with Kansas last week, Pettiford decided to go public with his decision on Tuesday afternoon.
Before leaving for a workout, Pettiford had this to say to JayhawkSlant.com about his decision to commit to Kansas.
“I mean I am excited,” said Pettiford. It’s a perfect opportunity. I love the coaching staff and they are giving me a chance to prove myself. I’ve got to take it and run with it.”
KU's 2021 recruiting class now consists of Pettiford, Zach Clemence, K.J. Adams, and Sydney Curry. The staff has several options to consider, including Ty ty Washington, Brandon McKissic, Jonas Aidoo, and Stanley Amude.