Coaches often preach culture—establishing and cultivating it. They also preach cohesiveness, brotherhood, and the common good. While all these characteristics are paramount for a successful program, Kennesaw State men’s basketball coach Antoine Pettway preaches another essential element: love, which was evident after their history-making win over Rutgers 79-77 last month at the Convocation Center.
“Go out there and play with confidence,” Pettway said. “We fight for each other. Every time we are out there, we want to show love wins. We want to show the country and the community the love we have for each other every time we step onto the court.”
The Owls are currently 7-3 overall amid a challenging schedule, which has featured the aforementioned win over Rutgers on national television and, recently, an 81-77 road win at Georgia State in the I-75 showdown. The Owls were down by eight with under seven minutes to go before embarking on the comeback victory.
Through it all, Pettway—whose team features only one lopsided loss to mid-major power UC Irvine, which is currently 9-1 and rated 60th in KenPom—has maintained the adulation, love and hunger exhibited by the Owls’ previous coach, the late Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away tragically before the season as he was about to embark on his second season at South Florida.
“These are the moments you work for, the moments you pray for,” Pettway said after the upset over Rutgers. “Why would you be afraid? Let’s go out there and have fun. It felt good to see the community come out and see the support we got.”
Kennesaw had to adjust before the season by moving Simeon Cottle to more of a full-time ball handler and facilitator, as promising sophomore RJ Johnson suffered a shoulder injury.
Cottle has meant everything for this team, averaging a team-leading 16.9 points a game and providing a calming leadership impetus for a young team. Cottle has eclipsed 25 points three times this season, including dropping 27 in the most recent road win over Georgia State.
The ballyhooed freshman class has lived up to the promise. Adrian Wooley, a 6-foot-5 freshman from Tuscaloosa, Ala,. is second on the team in scoring at 15.8 points and leads the team in assists with 4.0 a game. He also averaging four rebounds a game. Wooley, a crafty and savvy stop-and-go mover on offense, has saved his best for the big spots. He had 10 points and dropped seven assists and three steals vs. Rutgers. He has earned…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Mid-Major Madness – All Posts…