Before Alabama basketball plays their first game of the 2023-24 season, Nate Oats will have to replace all three assistant coaches on his bench. Friday, Antoine Pettway is set to become the head coach of Kennesaw State and the third assistant coach from Nate Oats’ staff to be promoted to a head coaching position, joining Bryan Hodgson, who is now head coach of Arkansas State, and Charlie Henry, who was also hired last month as the head coach of Georgia Southern.
Pettway has been the most stable piece on the Alabama sidelines over the past decade. Since becoming an assistant coach at Alabama, he has remained an assistant coach at Alabama under head coaches Mark Gottfried, Anthony Grant, and Avery Johnson, as well as being added to Nate Oats’ staff when he took the Alabama head coaching job.
“In getting to know Antoine, he’s one of the best individuals I’ve ever met,” second-year head coach Nate Oats said. “He’s got no ego; he’s not entitled; and he’s got great relationships with our guys. I interviewed all the players when I first got here and the feedback I got on him was that he really cares about each of them. He recruited a lot of them and the fact that he helped sign the three guys coming in was big. I talked to a lot of people about him and it was all great. I thought it'd be good to have some continuity on staff and I am excited to work with Antoine."
Along with being the longest-tenured coach on Nate Oats’ staff, Pettway was also the Crimson Tide’s best recruiter, and one of the best recruiters in the nation. Pettway is responsible for being the primary recruiter and a big part in bringing in some of the biggest recruits such as Noah Clowney, John Petty, Kira Lewis, JD Davidson, and Collin Sexton.
Before beginning his coaching career, Pettway was a walk-on at Alabama before earning a basketball scholarship his sophomore year. His senior year he played a crucial role as the point guard on the 2004 Crimson Tide basketball team that made it to the Elite 8 before losing to the eventual national champion UConn Huskies.
"I cannot go without thanking the University of Alabama,” Pettway said in a statement after accepting the Kennesaw State job. “The last 15 years in Tuscaloosa have molded me into the man I am today. Thank you to Coach Oats, Greg Byrne, President Bell and all the players that I have coached and played with throughout my time with the Tide. Tuscaloosa will always hold a special place in my heart for helping me live out my dream of playing Division I basketball and coaching at the highest level.”
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