'The Right Stuff': John Petty Jr. Thrives After Moments of Refocus

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The game of basketball, just like life, requires moments where a player or individual must take a step back to gain some clarity and focus in order to prioritize and begin a fresh effort.

For Alabama men’s basketball senior guard John Petty Jr., taking a step back from the court to refocus and establish some priorities has had to happen on two occasions. For both instances, it seems to have paid off.

“I really like where we’re at,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “Petty’s all about the right stuff.”

Last season, due to “poor effort” in practice according to Oats, Petty was benched to start the LSU game in order for him to regain some focus. The decision by Oats was quite the controversial one among Crimson Tide fans given that LSU was one of the best teams in the SEC in the 2019-2020 season and the Alabama bench lacked most any form of depth.

Petty did ultimately enter the game but did not contribute much for the Crimson Tide in its 90-76 loss at the hands of the Tigers. However, the move did cause Petty to promise to Oats that he would be giving maximum effort in future practices.

“I thought JP was really good today,” Oats said last season following the first practice after the LSU game. “He talked through everything. He was talking to guys. His voice was loud, it was active. He’s got a high IQ, so I anticipate JP really stepping up in that regard.”

Petty went on a tear following his benching, compiling three games of 20 points or more and an uptick in his effort on defense. While an elbow injury ultimately set him back, there was clear improvement in his game.

This season, it’s the same story. Against East Tennessee State back on Dec. 22, it was announced moments before the game that Petty would not be playing. This time, Petty wasn’t even dressed out, or even in Coleman Coliseum.

The results have been much the same as last year’s.

“He’s shown me where he wants to end his career here to be honest with you,” Oats said after Saturday night’s 71-63 win over No. 7 Tennessee. “He wants to end it on a winning note. He wants to be a winner. He wants to go out being all about the right stuff. He’s proven he’s a shooter, he’s proven he could guard last year — it’s more about the little stuff that impacts winning, and he’s doing all that right now. He’s been great with that.

“Guys wanna play with winners and he’s going to leave as — as long as we can keep doing what we’re doing — he’s going to leave his career here as a winner. That’s what we want these guys to do when they leave out of here at the end of it all.”

Since sitting out the ETSU game, Petty scored 13 against Ole Miss in the SEC opener, then 19 more points this past Saturday night in the Crimson Tide’s first true road game at Tennessee. On top of his success on offense, Petty is showing much-improved effort on defense, including acquiring six rebounds in each game.

The effort from Petty was enough to earn him SEC co-offensive player of the week.

#SECMBB Player of the Week: @jpetty2324

Full release » https://t.co/i9u0BZQQkA. pic.twitter.com/F8RHkqwDEh
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) January 4, 2021

Now the Crimson Tide prepares to face the Florida Gators on Tuesday night. (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2). After both teams starting SEC play 2-0, one will emerge from Coleman Coliseum as the last undefeated team in conference play.

After readjusting since his absence against ETSU, Petty said that he and his team are relaxed and prepared for the challenges that Florida presents.

“We real comfortable,” Petty said. “It’s just basically from the preparation that we put in from the time we spent on film to the late nights in the gym getting jumpers up with the team and also just the way our offense been flowing. We have our guards getting into the lane and they’re getting our shooters great shots so it all just contributes to the stuff that we’ve been doing to prepare for games.”

Over the past two seasons, Oats has shown that he is not afraid of providing ‘tough love’ to his players. While last season many fans didn’t understand why Oats would bench one of his best players against one of the top teams in the conference, no one can deny the effectiveness of the move.

And, like any good coach, Oats was quick to compliment Petty on his improvement since his metaphorical slap on the wrist against ETSU.

“He’s really talented,” Oats said. “He’s a really high-IQ player. Sometimes you’ve just got to remind him of all the little details that matter and I think when he focuses in on — and his attention to detail gets really zoned in — and his focus gets better he gets really good.

“Sometimes he’s needed a little bit of a refocus if you will, and I think he’s got that right now. Me and him have had numerous talks since he’s come back. I think his head’s in a great spot, I think his mind’s where it needs to be, his heart’s right where it’s gotta be with the team. He just wants the team to do great, do whatever he can to help the team win and he’s obviously one of the most talented players in the league when he’s playing like that.”