Report: Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway interviewing with Kennessaw State on Thursday

Alabama assistant men’s basketball coach Antoine Pettway is interviewing for the open Kennessaw State head coaching job, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. Pettway played basketball at Alabama.

He joined the staff in 2014 and became an assistant coach three years later. The 2022-23 campaign with capped a decade on staff and his seventh as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

Now, Pettway is being considered as a replacement for Amir Abdur-Rahim, who took the Owls to the NCAA Tournament this season before being hired by USF.

Pettway began his Alabama playing career as a walk on, steadily playing his way into being a full-time starter by his senior year in 2003-04. He started all 33 games that season and averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2 steals a game. He began his career on an academic scholarship before being placed on an athletic scholarship for his final three years of college. Each of those three seasons, Pettway helped guide the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament. His senior season, he led Alabama to an appearance in the Elite Eight.

According to Goodman, if Kennessaw State hires Pettway, it could make some college basketball history, as all three assistant coaches from head coach Nate Oats’ staff would’ve become head coaches in one cycle.

Fellow assistants Charlie Henry and Bryan Hodgson took the Georgia Southern and Arkansas State head coaching gigs, respectively.

If all three assistants do depart, it’d be something akin to breaking up a band after tour. Oats said after the season concluded that it was perhaps the most memorable Alabama basketball season ever.

“I’ll say it’s one of the most memorable seasons ever,” stated Oats. “It’s not easy to win the regular season, the SEC tournament in the same year and make a Sweet 16 run.

“It’s a great group that really loves each other. I mean, they’re going to be close for life, most of them. You know, I love the group, they love each other, and it’s just really disappointing that it’s ending early. But I think it’s one of the most memorable seasons in Alabama history, and they can walk out of here with their heads up.”

And replicating similar success with a partially new slate of assistant coaches could get even more challenging if Pettway departs. Then it will be an entirely new set of assistants aiding Oats and the Alabama roster next season.