Published Mar 13, 2018
John Petty heating up as Alabama enters NCAA Tournament
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Tony Tsoukalas  •  TideIllustrated
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Despite losing by 23 points in its most recent defeat to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, Alabama found a reason for optimism. The Crimson Tide was unable to come up with an answer for the eventual conference tournament winners but instead might have left the game with something more important moving forward.

Lost in Kentucky’s 86-63 blowout win over Alabama was the reemergence of freshman guard John Petty, who scored 18 points, including five 3s. The performance was especially encouraging considering the former five-star has struggled from behind the arc in games away from Coleman Coliseum this season.

Before Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, Petty was just 29 of 133 (25.6 percent) from 3 away from Tuscaloosa. Saturday inside of St. Louis’ Scottrade Center he made 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, including four straight late in the second half.

“I just had to see one go in and just figure out what I was doing wrong with my shot,” Petty said Sunday. “Once I saw one go in, I felt very confident about shooting the next one.”

For an Alabama team that shoots just 32.4 percent from 3, Petty’s resurgence comes better late than never. The No. 9 seed Crimson Tide (19-15) opens up the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against No. 8 seed Virginia Tech (21-11) and will need all the help it can get to advance past the hot-shooting Hokies.

“I just tell him just keep with it,” forward Braxton Key said of Petty. “I’ll tell him we’re down 20 every game, maybe, if that helps him. But I mean whatever he’s got to do to get himself ready. He’s a great player and has a great future.”

As much as Petty has struggled with 3s on the road, he’s by far the Crimson Tide’s best shooter from distance. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard set the school record by hitting 10 3s against Alabama A&M on Nov. 17 and made four or more 3s in eight games this season.

However, before the game against Kentucky, Petty was at an all-time low, making just 3 of 19 (15.7 percent) of his shots from distance over his previous four games. The Huntsville, Ala., native admits the crux of that problem might have been letting the slump get to his head.

“It did a little bit,” Petty said. “But Coach Avery [Johnson], being the coach he is, he pulled me to the side and told me, ‘You know you can shoot, you know can make shots, so just stay focused, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re a shooter.’ And that’s what made me keep my confidence to keep shooting the shot.”

Johnson said he liked what he saw from Petty against Kentucky, stating his release point and elevation were good. The head coach also credited his guard’s ability to drive to the lane, something that Petty has been hesitant to do in the past.

That could be especially important as Alabama looks to find a second scoring weapon to complement point guard Collin Sexton, who made the SEC All-Tournament team, scoring 79 points over Alabama’s three games in the tournament.

“We know that he can’t do it by himself,” Petty said. “He’s absolutely a tremendous player, but I mean it’s a game of five. You have to all be one. We all talked to each other and told each other that we’ve got to help him. I mean he’s doing his part, so we’ve got to do our part.”

For Petty, that part is being Alabama’s shooter. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, he feels like he’s found his touch.

“I feel like that I’ve got my confidence coming into the tournament,” Petty said. “and I feel like it’s at the right time.”