2024 5* PG Tahaad Pettiford Signs with AU!

[GwillMac6 20,851]

3 minutes ago, Paladin said:

 

 

[toddc 13,197]

This kid just keeps showing up!

 

[toddc 13,197]

 

[Paladin 3,307]

 

[GwillMac6 20,851]

10 minutes ago, Paladin said:

 

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,971]

 

[toddc 13,197]

 

[GwillMac6 20,851]

3 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

https://twitter.com/JamieShaw5/status/1689762218034806785

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,971]

1 hour ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

It’s a dog eat dog world when it comes to reactions on here lol 

[Pedaler 1,085]

Oh well

[LPTiger 5,974]

At least we got to see one stud who is committed to us.   Pettiford looked really good!!!

[aubiefifty 19,321]

 

al.com

 

 

Updated: Aug. 13, 2023, 11:15 a.m.|Published: Aug. 13, 2023, 10:35 a.m.

4–6 minutes

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Auburn commit and 5-star rated guard Tahaad Pettiford rises up for a dunk in the first half of the Under Armour Next Elite 24 boys basketball showcase game on August 12 in Atlanta. (Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com)

This wasn’t the way Auburn’s basketball program wanted its Saturday night to go.

The night at the Under Armour Next Elite 24 boys’ basketball showcase in Atlanta was supposed to be about 5-star center Flory Bidunga. Had he picked Auburn, Bidunga would have been the highest-rated recruit in school history. Former Auburn players Isaac Okoro and Sharife Cooper were there along the sidelines to watch. And multiple recruiting websites logged “crystal ball” predictions in the final hours for the Indiana native to pick Auburn.

But the hat he pulled out of his Under Armour drawstring bag was a different shade of blue, and had a Kansas Jayhawks logo on the front.

Bidunga’s commitment came after the cancellation of the boys’ game during the first half due to an outdoor court that was never safely dried following an early-evening thunderstorm.

Multiple players slipped on the slick floor during the short-lived game but while they were on the floor, it was a different 5-star recruit who stole the show — and this one was already committed to Auburn.

Point guard Tahaad Pettiford is known nationally as a great athlete, and he didn’t take long to show it with pregame dunks. Nor did Pettiford hold anything back during the game, either.

Pettiford can shoot, too, making a shot from the mid-court logo during the pregame shoot-around.

During Saturday’s game — which was cut off before halftime due to the unsafe floor — Pettiford was the most exciting player on the floor. He started for his team coached by Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker.

But all weekend, Pettiford’s highlight reel continued to grow on social media, including plays he made when teamed up with Bidunga.

Pettiford tried to push Bidunga toward Auburn, albeit unsuccessfully both online and in person during Bidunga’s seemingly quiet but wild recruiting process.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has not been shy in his pursuit of Bidunga. Bidunga plays for Kokomo High School in Kokomo, Indiana, as well as the highly regarded Indiana Elite club team — and Pearl has traveled to Indiana to watch him play several times.

Of his final four schools, Auburn was in the earliest on Bidunga — the first of the four to offer Bidunga by months, according to 247Sports timeline. Michigan and Duke didn’t give Bidunga an offer until this summer when he began to gain serious national prominence.

On Friday, the day before the Atlanta event, most recruiting experts expected Bidunga to pick Duke.

But in the final hours, things changed.

Bidunga was largely expected to pick Duke. But the reclassification on Friday of 5-star big man Cooper Flagg — regarded by recruiting websites as a higher-rated prospect than Bidunga — from the class of 2025 to 2024 may have swung Bidunga, as Flagg is also expected to pick Duke when he makes his eventual commitment.

After news of Flagg’s reclassification broke, “crystal ball” predictions from recruiting experts on multiple recruiting websites began flooding in for Bidunga to choose Auburn.

But Bidunga chose Bill Self in Kansas in a decision that appeared as a surprise. Kansas offered Bidunga a scholarship in September, and he visited Lawrence in May before making his commitment Saturday.

Pettiford, who plays his high school ball for Hudson Catholic in Jersey City, New Jersey, committed to Auburn in February. Auburn offered Pettiford a scholarship last June and he came to The Plains for his official visit in September.

He ultimately picked Auburn over a list of finalists that included UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA.

Pettiford is ranked as the 19th overall player in the 247Sports composite ranking and the number two point guard.

He is Auburn’s second-highest-rated recruit ever — just behind Jabari Smith and just in front of guard Aden Holloway who is expected to be a key piece for Auburn this season.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,971]

Interesting title 

[toddc 13,197]

 

[toddc 13,197]

 

[GwillMac6 20,851]

 

[GwillMac6 20,851]

 

[toddc 13,197]

Auburn hoops signs 5-star PG Tahaad Pettiford

Pettiford is officially in the fold for Auburn.

Christian Clemente60 mins

Bruce Pearl, now officially, has another big one on the way.

As the early signing period opened up on Wednesday for the 2024 basketball recruiting class, 5-star point guardTahaad Pettiford wasted no time signing his paperwork to become an Auburn Tiger. Pettiford had been committed to Auburn since Feb. 1 of 2023, choosing Auburn over Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, UCLA, Ole Miss and Seton Hall.

“I knew I wanted to commit to Auburn when I went on my visit,” Pettiford said at the time of committing. “As soon as I got there it just felt like a second home and a place I needed to be. It was everything from the atmosphere, the coaching, connection with the players, and how welcoming everybody was. After all that, it’s all I needed to know.”

In the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Pettiford is ranked as the No. 24 player, No. 2 point guard and No. 2 player from New Jersey. With a rating of 0.9910, Pettiford is the fifth-highest-ranked signee in program history behind just Jabari Smith, Aden Holloway, Sharife Cooper and Yohan Traore.

Playing for Hudson Catholic in New Jersey, it was Auburn assistant Ira Bowman that helped lead the way alongside Pearl to ultimately land Pettiford's signature.

"My connection with coach Bruce Pearl and coach Ira Bowman played a big part too,” Pettiford said. “I feel like coach Bruce and I are very alike. Personality wise he’s a happy guy who has a great positive attitude and wants to push you to be great. I think he will help me get to the next level.”

247Sports evaluation on Pettiford:

"Pettiford is a lefty combo-guard who plays in constant attack mode. He’s fast, quick and has a ton of pace to his game as he puts constant pressure on opposing defenses.

"He plays with a similarly aggressive mentality on the defensive end of the floor where his length, quickness, and pesky mentality allowed him to have one of the highest steal rates in the EYBL with 2.5/game.

"Physically, he’s undersized with a wiry build, but long and athletic with an elastic quality about the way he can contort his body.

"While he’s built like a point guard, and capable of playing with the ball in his hands, he has definitely been at his best when he’s able to attack and play on instinct, rather than have to try to slow down, get others involved, and run the team.

"He’s a capable passer with a fluid shooting stroke, although his percentages will need to keep improving (33.5% 3pt in EYBL), but his long-term upside will be tied to his ability to play at different speeds and impact the game as much in the half-court as he does in the open-floor."

[fishepa 2,372]

Dumb question - Aden Holloway seems like our PG for the forseeable future, what position will Pettiford play, SG?

[ellitor 34,795]

1 hour ago, fishepa said:

Dumb question - Aden Holloway seems like our PG for the forseeable future, what position will Pettiford play, SG?

@fishepa Not sure Aden will stick at the PG next year. He played SG in high school. It could be Pettiford at the point & Aden at the 2.

[WFE12 9,491]

[GwillMac6 20,851]

3 hours ago, WFE12 said:

 

[AUGoo 2,792]

Smooooooooooth.

makes it look easy.

Fun to watch.

Another lefty.

Thinking CBP likes lefties.

[toddc 13,197]

 

[tigeraddikt 1,923]

On 12/27/2023 at 10:27 PM, GwillMac6 said:

 

Is this the video of the war room when Byron Cowart announced?