In the first week after the Auburn Tigers won the NIT Championship in Indianapolis to kick off the Steven Pearl era, the burning question sat in the minds of many with the program—was Tahaad Pettiford going to return for his junior season?
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Six days after the game, on April 11, that announcement came, as the point guard from Jersey City, New Jersey made it public that he was giving things another go around on the Plains.
Fast forward to Thursday, Oct. 8, and the junior participated in another Pro Day in front of NBA scouts.
It’s safe to say he felt good about the showing he put on.
“I think I played well,” said Tahaad Pettiford. “Helped my team come out with the win. Made a couple shots. I'm happy.”
As a sophomore, Pettiford averaged 15.4 points per game, which was 22nd in the SEC and second on Auburn, only behind Keyshawn Hall. He also averaged 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists on the year.
He put on a showing though in an intrasquad scrimmage during Pro Day. Unofficial stats show the guard 22 points, one rebound, five assists, one steal and one block on the day. Included in that was him shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 from the free throw line.
Playing in front of scouts from the professional level was not something that made him nervous, as he has done it before. To him, it just felt like another normal game.
“Just be myself,” Pettiford said. “Go out there and just play my game and help my team win, whatever that is, whatever I got to do. And today was putting the ball in the basket, so I take that.”
Pearl has gotten a chance to watch him throughout his entire career with the Tigers, seeing on Thursday how fluid he was on the floor.
The head coach says Pettiford is performing the way he is largely because of the weapons he has around him both on the inside near the paint and the outside on the perimeter, which is allowing him to ultimately get to where he wants—out in space.
“I think the team was constructed to allow him to be efficient and effective,” Pearl said. “You saw that today with his shot making. I think the floor opens up for him and allows him to play more one on one and in space. I told him, 'Listen, once we play Florida State or Alabama or Stanford, they're going to be keying on you. So you have to trust your teammates.' I think he's shown the willingness and ability to do that.”
In an offseason where the veteran has worked on a lot in terms of his game, he has also been able to become a more vocal leader.
At the end of the day, getting to do that is helping him achieve his dreams at the college level, hoping to propel his team towards a bounce-back year after not making it to the NCAA Tournament by a thin margin.
“It's kind of something that I always wanted to be a leader on a Division I basketball team,” Pettiford said. “So it's kind of like surreal to me this year. Last year wasn't the year that we wanted to have. So being able to come back and do it again to hopefully have a better outcome.”
Auburn will hit the floor for its first exhibition match of the season when it plays Florida State on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham at 7 p.m. Pettiford will also be in Birmingham on Oct. 13 alongside Pearl and Kevin Overton to speak at SEC Media Days.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
