Pettway to be honored
Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 5, 2004
Former Wilcox Central High School and University of Alabama Crimson Tide basketball player Antoine Pettway has made many a mark on the hoops court.
His accomplishments will be honored Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at a ceremony in the Wilcox Central High School auditorium.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
Refreshments will be served in the cafeteria following the ceremony.
Crimson Tide head coach Mark Gottfried will be present for the ceremony, as will Alabama assistant coaches, teammates and classmates.
Pettway and his family also are scheduled to be in attendance.
Those attending the ceremony also will be shown a replay of the CBS special on Pettway, along with a highlights video of his playing career.
Pettway was the driving force behind the University of Alabama’s strong showing this season, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Tide made it to the Elite Eight. Joseph Pettway, former Wilcox Central High School head basketball coach, said he was overjoyed when he heard of plans to honor his son. Antoine and his Jaguar teammates won the Class 5A state title during the 1999-2000 season, his junior season.
“That showed me that Antoine really made an impact on the community,” Joseph Pettway said. “It’s nice to be appreciated.
“Basketball was the attention-getter for Antoine,” Pettway added. “But he also was a great student, the salutatorian for his class, he’s a great kid and a great role model.”
Pettway said his son currently is playing for the Kentucky Reach in the WBA.
He added that his son’s immediate future plans include making himself available for the NBA draft.
Other options include playing professional basketball overseas, going to trade school or finding a job.
“Most teams in the NBA could use Antoine,” he said. “He would be a fresh face in the league.”