One of two in-state signees, John Pettway was an all-state performer at Keith High School. The Safford, Ala. native averaged almost 24 points per game in leading KHS to a state semifinal appearance, and was a finalist for the state 1A player of the year award. He sat down with USAJaguars.com and talked about growing up in a small town, his biggest influence and the role a basketball-playing cousin had on his life.

When did you start playing basketball?
I started playing around the age of 3. I played other sports, but basketball was the only sport I really stuck with. My mom was the main one that got me into it. She played basketball as well and she was the one that put the ball in my hand. I ended up playing with my cousins – they were older than me and some were grown men. That's where it all started.

Take me through your journey to get to South Alabama.
In the country, we didn't have concrete courts or anything, so I played on a lot of dirt courts and got tough against grown people. My mom stayed on me, made sure I did my work and my grades were good. It all led me here.

Why did you choose South Alabama?
It felt like home, plus it was close to home, even though it's two hours away. After the death of my grandma, I wanted to stay close to my mom and make her feel a little more comfortable, knowing that I'm only two hours away. She wouldn't have to come hours away just to come see me.

You grew up in a small town – what kind of adjustment did you have to go through moving here?
There are way more things to do, coming from a town that only has a gas station and a hardware store. It's just a big change. There are also more resources; back at home, I wasn't able to go to the gym real quick unless it was my high school gym when it was open. Now that I'm at South, I'm able to go to the gym anytime I want. If I want to go do something with my teammates, I can do it. Back at home, either everyone is outside playing together, or you're in the house just watching TV. Everybody in the community is related, so you're playing with your cousins.

Your cousin, Antoine Pettway, was a good player at Alabama – what impact did he have on your life?
He had a big impact. Things that he worked on – running up and down the road with the basketball, staying outside until it's dark and your mom calls you to come inside – plus my mom would take me to his games. He would come get me out of the stands and take me on the court so I could see how it was. It clicked for me that it's something that I would like to do. I used to hear my grandmother give me the speeches about how Antoine did this or did that, and the next day, I found myself doing the same thing. I went to his dad's church, and after I committed to South, he told me about how when I was younger, all the things that I told you Antoine did, you did the same thing. I was basically trying to fill his shoes. He motivated me all the way. I would always ask when he was coming home because I wanted to learn so much. I knew he had something I could learn from and I knew he had gotten better.

What was your relationship with him like when you were being recruited?
I talked to him all the time throughout the process. When it had gotten slow, he told me to wait, that my time would come. He told me to continue to ball, and once it started rolling in, he said, Now it's here, now you have to make the right decision. He helped me make the right decision and it led me to a great spot.

What was the European trip like for you?
It was a great experience. My dream is to go overseas and play basketball, so it gave me an outlook on it. It showed me how things are over there. I couldn't understand the signs or know where I was going, but it was a great experience. My favorite part was the food. I had different types of meat that I had never heard of before, but it was good. The way they play, the rules are way different over there. I think I got called for an eight-second violation; when the ball went out of bounds, I thought the count started over.

Had you ever been out of the country before?
No, and it was my first time flying. I was scared at first, but it was alright. I thought I was going deaf one time because of my ears when we were going down, but they taught me how to pop my ears. When we first took off, I was taking Dramamine and I thought my stomach was going to act up, but it wasn't bad. It was smooth; I didn't know I was in the air for part of it. Once I got to Atlanta I was over it; I didn't worry about taking any more medicine. I was ready to get on the plane.

How would you describe your playing style?
I'm more of a Russell Westbrook type – getting into the lane, finishing above the rim, making plays for my team, defending and getting in the passing lane, and trying to bring a lot of energy to the team. I just want to contribute in any way that the coaches need me to.

What do you consider to be the strongest part of your game?
Playing in the open court. I don't think anyone can stop me in the open court because I'm either going to feed my teammates that are running with me, or if my legs are feeling good, I'm going to dunk the ball.

What do you try to accomplish during the offseason workouts?
I'm trying to get down the pace of the game. Coach Brock (Morris) is working with me right now on playing at a good pace, making smart reads, finishing at the rim, my ball handling and my shot.

What part of your game are you working on the most leading up to next season?
Tightening up my ball handling, working on my shot and making good reads off screens.

What do you enjoy the most of the game of basketball?
I enjoy the atmosphere, the big-time shots, getting out with my team on the open floor, running, dunking and having fun. Just playing the game and having fun.

Who has had the biggest influence on your basketball life?
My mom. She taught me all the little things, like make sure you get your rest, putting a ball in your hands, put the phone down and grab a ball and dribble up the road or something. We didn't have any goals, so she'd tell me to go dribble. Then she'd tell me to lay in the bed and do form shooting. I was a really good shooter in 8th or 9th grade, but then my legs started to develop and I was able to dunk. That's when my shot went away. She would have me do toe-raises and I would tie a belt around my knees and I would defense slide all the way through the house. She just kept driving me and told me to stay with it.

What do you expect of yourself this season?
I expect to grow a lot as a player, as a student, everything. I want to understand the game and be able to take care of my body throughout this entire process. I want to take in everything the coaches tell me, become better and help my team win.

What assistant coach recruited you and what was your relationship like during that process?
Coach Morris. He became one of my family members. He got really close to my family and they felt like he was going to take care of me here. I felt the same way. He was there throughout the death of my grandmother and I felt like he was going to take care of me.

What professional player do you try to model your game after?
Either John Wall or Russell Westbrook. I also like Devin Booker and Jabari Parker as well. I look at how they get in the open floor and get to the rim. I want to finish around the rim like they do. I like their mid-range game too, pulling up on somebody. They saw you blow past them and get to the rim, so now I'm going to pull up on you.

Quick Hits
Favorite NBA team: It was the Miami Heat because Dwyane Wade was there, but now it's probably the Chicago Bulls
Favorite college team growing up: Kentucky
Favorite sport other than basketball: Baseball
Favorite musical artists: Travis Greene, Doe B
Favorite class: Math
Favorite movie: "Creed"
Favorite video game: I don't play video games
Favorite social media: Snapchat
Favorite TV show: Martin

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