Antoine Pettway has been the Kennesaw State Owls’ new Men’s Basketball Head Coach since April 7, 2023.
After his first week as Head Coach, Pettway is excited to learn more about Owl Nation and guide the Owls through a hopefully victorious season.
When asked about what it would take to win another NCAA championship, Coach Pettway comments on focusing on the journey.
“We’re going to make the process what it’s about. The Championship is the result of us doing everyday things that we need to do at a championship level. I don’t even want to talk to them about another ASUN Championship,” Coach Pettway said.
Two main players that are staying with the KSU Owls are seniors Terrell Burden and Demond Robinson. Pettway looks towards these seniors to guide the team through a season with high expectations.
“Your best team coaches themselves, and I think that’s what we can do with a Demond and with a TB [Terrell Burden],” Pettway said. In addition, Coach Pettway is looking towards Simeon Cottle to make a big impact in the next few years.
When talking about Burden, Pettway remarks on how talented Burden is on the court.
“This dude is dynamic,” Pettway continued, “I think he is one of the best point guards in the conference and in the country.” When talking to Burden, Pettway says to be aggressive on the court and to not give up any shots because he is “special”.
This past 2022-23 basketball season, the Owls kept falling short with their free throw percentage and stamina, eventually gaining the nickname cardiac owls. When asked about how to improve this statistic, Pettway chuckled at first knowing the nickname Owl Nation had given the previous team.
“The guys are gonna make free throws…last year was last year. This is a new bunch,” Pettway continues, “But hey, if they struggle with stamina and free throws and win an ASUN Championship, let’s do that again!”
Coach Pettway acknowledges that he has big roles to fill now that previous head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has transferred along with 3 starters.
“There’s an opportunity for other guys to step up,” Pettway reminds us as five out of the seven starters have left the team.
With that being said, Pettway’s first order of business is to recruit 5 new players for the Owls, the first being Rongie Gordon.
Gordon is a 6’8” Forward from Montgomery, Alabama. He signed with Kennesaw State Athletics on April 14, 2023, however, Head Coach Pettway did not have a comment on this personal signing.
“I think we’re going to add good pieces in the future to compliment what we already have,” Pettway said, in regards to future commits.
In the press conference on April 12, the Director of Athletics, Milton Overton, mentioned he was looking for someone who was a family guy, with a high work ethic, respect, and passion for these young men. When asked what characteristic Pettway most exemplified, he said all of them.
“If my home is in a good place, everything else falls in line,” Pettway stated.
Pettway plans to connect with the community by having his team reach out not only on campus but in the Kennesaw area.
“I want me and my guys out reading to kids at elementary schools. I want us out doing community service,” Pettway continues. “I want people to feel like my program, myself, are a part of this community.”
As practice resumes for the Kennesaw State Men’s Basketball program, Pettway is eager to get started and to have his family with him. Pettway laughed when asked what the first thing his kids wanted to do in Georgia was, but ultimately Six Flags was the answer. Once the new season starts, we’ll see how Pettway writes this new KSU Owls story.
