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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Confidence is running high for John Petty Jr. these days — and for good reason. The sophomore guard has been Alabama basketball’s leading scorer in three of its last four games. Over that span, he’s averaging 18 points while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Petty attributes much of that success to a “can’t-miss” mindset in which he feels a sense of certainty from practically anywhere on the court. Friday, the 6-foot-5 guard went as far as to say when he's in the zone, “There’s no such thing as a bad shot.”
“I learned that because Coach Avery (Johnson), usually if I had took some of the shots that I took, he would have blew up,” Petty said with a smile. “But like I said, he has confidence in me. All the coaches, all the players, they know when I’m in a rhythm it’s like they done seen it before in practice. (Johnson) done seen me all throughout high school. He just knows I’m in a rhythm, and there’s really no shot I can’t make.”
When asked about the comment minutes later, Johnson chuckled before clarifying that there is indeed such a thing as a bad shot. The head coach then went into the importance of shot selection before conceding that sometimes that range expands when a player gets on a roll the way Petty has in recent games.
“I don’t know if every one of his shots were great shots the last game,” Johnson said. “He made one that was probably a bad shot, but when it goes in we all love it.”
While Petty’s hot shooting has been stealing the headlines, Johnson has been just as impressed with his overall growth as a player. The head coach praised Petty’s ability to post up and drive the ball to the basket — two things the sophomore has done more of during his torrid run. Johnson also noted that Petty has been one of Alabama’s best defenders lately.
Perhaps one of Petty’s best traits this season has been his selflessness. The former five-star recruit has not started since the beginning of conference play, entering off the bench the past six games.
“He doesn’t have a problem with it,” Johnson said. “Everybody wants to start, but I told him, ‘You can come off the bench and play 20-30 minutes or do you want to start and play 12.’”
Johnson said he discussed the importance of a bench role with Petty, using former Villanova player Donta DiVencenzo as an example. DiVencenzo averaged 13.4 points per game off the bench last season while helping lead the Wildcats to a national championship.
As Johnson noted, Petty hasn’t seen a drop in minutes since coming off the bench. The guard has registered 25 or more minutes in each of Alabama’s past five games and is averaging 30.1 minutes on the season. Not only has Petty embraced his supporting role, he says it’s played a big part in his recent production.
“Coming off the bench, it’s been helpful for me because I’ve been able to sit back and observe the game, watch some defenses, watch how they rotate," Petty said. "So when I come in the game, I just find the peaks in their defense, and if I make my first two shots I just automatically know it’s going to be a good night.”
And if he misses those first two shots?
“The confidence that I have lately, if I miss my first two, I’ll still keep shooting,” Petty said. “Not just keep jacking, but I ’ll keep shooting just trying to find a rhythm. And I know my teammates will help me do that. But, the way the rim has been looking at me lately, I doubt I miss my first two.”
Alabama (12-6) will hope Petty’s hot streak continues as it travels to face Baylor (12-6) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Crimson Tide owns a perfect 2-0 record in the Challenge, including topping then-No. 12 Oklahoma a year ago. Alabama also defeated Texas Tech in the first year of the event back in 2013. Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPNU.
