Report: Kennesaw State to hire Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway as head coach

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•04/07/23•

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Kennesaw State is set to hire Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway as its next head coach, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported Friday. He interviewed for the position earlier this week, Goodman previously said.

Pettway, a former Alabama star, has been part of the Alabama staff since 2014 and became an assistant coach in 2017. He played for the Crimson Tide from 2000-04, starting as a walk-on and became a starter by the 2003-04 season. That year, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 33 starts for the Crimson Tide.

Pettway will now replace Amir Abdur-Rahim, who left to become the head coach at USF after leading Kennesaw State to the NCAA Tournament this past season. In doing so, he’ll be the third Alabama assistant to leave and become a head coach this offseason, meaning Nate Oats will have a new-look staff next year.

Alabama will undergo plenty of changes this offseason

The Crimson Tide lost Charlie Henry after he became the new head coach at Georgia Southern and Bryan Hodgson took over as the new headman at Arkansas State. Oats will have some work to do this offseason after leading Alabama to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide finished the year with a 31-6 overall record and saw the season end in the Sweet Sixteen against San Diego State.

There will also be some changes on the roster, as well. Brandon Miller is off to the 2023 NBA Draft as a potential top pick, and Alabama has also lost two players to the transfer portal since the season ended. Nimari Burnett entered the portal March 28 and ended up committing to Michigan shortly thereafter. Then, Jaden Bradley hit the portal this week after his freshman year. He is a former four-star recruit and was the No. 27 overall prospect from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The Crimson Tide also has a transfer coming in after securing the commitment of former Wichita State forward Jaykwon Walton — the No. 39-ranked small forward to hit the portal this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. Additionally, Alabama is set to host Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware for a visit, On3’s Joe Tipton reported. Ware is the No. 2 center to enter the transfer portal, per the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.