It’s a ‘fresh start’ for KU Jayhawks guard Pettiford, who is healthy entering season
Kansas sophomore point guard Bobby Pettiford scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting, dished two assists against one turnover and swiped a steal while playing 12 minutes in the Jayhawks’ 15-minute Late Night in the Phog intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 14 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I felt fast,” Pettiford revealed Tuesday at KU men’s basketball media day at Allen Fieldhouse. “I felt athletic for the first time in almost two years.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Durham, North Carolina native declared himself 100% healthy after missing almost his entire freshman season as well as this summer’s drills and some preseason practices this past month because of lingering abdominal and hamstring issues.
“I felt great. It’s the best I’ve felt in a while,” Pettiford added, this time referring to Saturday’s NCAA secret scrimmage against Illinois in St. Louis. “It’s a fresh start for me — year one right now, actually.”
Pettiford is wiping from his memory a 2021-22 freshman season in which he scored just 19 points with 12 assists all year. His season ended in February when he had abdominal surgery.
“I’m good now, ready to go,” he said, noting the last time he was completely healthy was “honestly maybe my senior year of high school, almost two years ago.”
KU coach Bill Self noticed a spring in Pettiford’s step on Saturday in the team’s secret scrimmage against the Fighting Illini.
“I thought Bobby moved well,” Self said. “Bobby hasn’t had a great fall only because he’s only been healthy about a week. In the times he’s been healthy (since arriving at KU) he’s been impressive.
“In a perfect world, it would be nice to know if Juan (Harris) is not in the game, Bobby runs the team.
“(That’s) in a perfect world,” Self repeated. “If it’s not that way, Kevin (McCullar, 6-6 combo guard) would have to be that guy (backup point guard). I like where Bobby is at now.”
Pettiford nearly redshirted his freshman season after first feeling the abdominal pain during the nonconference portion of KU’s 2021-22 campaign.
“I had a tear in my stomach or groin. I think in December it wasn’t that serious,” Pettiford said. “Coach said (at that time), ‘Do you want to sit out?’ I was in such a good spot I wanted to keep playing. I was thinking so much of contributing to the team … we already had a couple people out. It lingered on (with surgery necessary to repair a core muscle in his pelvic area in February).”
Pettiford said KU’s doctors and trainers have told him he can expect to remain healthy.
“They tell me to keep my head up. These accidents you can’t control,” Pettiford said. “They tell me to control what I can control, just get better every day.”
He said KU coach Self has been supportive the past many months.
“He calls me almost every day, restoring that confidence in me,” Pettiford said. “Me and him are close. It’s great.”
What can a healthy Pettiford bring to KU’s team this year?
“Be real aggressive, a pitbull, a dog, an aggressive guard who guards 94 feet,” Pettiford said. “I’m going to be able to get my teammates involved, get downhill and knock down open shots.”
He said he’s learned a lot from Harris, the starting point guard on a national-title KU team.
“He was the reason we won. He kept the team going,” Pettiford said of the 2021-22 Jayhawks. “(He taught) kind of how to lead, how to talk on offense, knowing where guys are going to be. Kind of like a quarterback. He took me under his wing a little bit.”
Pettiford said he’s hopeful this year’s team can match the success of the ‘22 championship squad.
“I’m ready to go back every year I’m here,” he said of the Final Four.
