Juwan Gary

Owen Neace

11/18/19

My profile was on someone that I can learn a lot from and actually take the words they

gave me and make myself better as a person. The person I did my profile on was my assistant

coach, Antoine Pettway. He played for The University of Alabama from 2001 to 2004, and was

part of that crimson tide squad who made it to the quarterfinal of the NCAA tournament. Coach

Pettway and I have a relationship that other players do not have with him. Coach Pettway was

the person who recruited me, and drove me to come to the University Of Alabama. Even though

Pettway was part of the reason I came, it still came down to being comfortable with the school

and the type of environment they had on campus. I can say their environment made me feel

home more than anything. The talk that Coach and I had before I came was more on the

academic side then the basketball side, because he knows that the ball is going to stop one day so

what am I going to do with the education I got from the University.

Interviewing my coach was an interview I will never forget, because he told me a lot

from his past and I learn from hearing him talk that never take anything for granted. Questions

like what made him come and play for the University Of Alabama? Or What strive him to get

him to where he is now in life? The answers he gave me were answers some coaches can not

relate to, but Pettway can go on all day with his stories on where he came from, who he do this

coaching thing for or what made him get into coaching after playing here. Pettway is one of the
easiest people to get along with around this campus, because he knows about this school better

than anyone on the team and always keep positive energy around.

Pettway is from a rough area of Alabama, and did whatever it took to get out of it. He

took basketball as a ticket out and he was successful, the four years he was here at the University

He made the best of it, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees, and became a great

basketball player and even a better coach.The way he cares for other people and carrie himself as

a human really shows that he can change his ways to better himself. In my opinion, I can not tell

that he was from a bad area because he acts totally different around us and teaches us a lot from

the basketball point of view. Around Tuscaloosa he is known as a great basketball player, I mean

we all know he made it to the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament and considered a Hall of

Famer around here. If people see the way he acts outside of basketball they would really enjoy

being around him because he does not talk about his success and greatness, he cares about how

we are doing and how is our family doing.

The time that I have been here he has got me through the ups and downs during the

basketball part. I really was not getting used to playing fast, and have to think more of the game

while playing. He kept my confidence up and told me to just play my game and ask questions if

necessary. I would not say he is the reason I am the player I am today, but he contributed a little

bit during the process of my growth. There were sometimes I wanted to give up, but I had to

remember my why and keep striving for greatness and success. Recruitment was the death of me

during the time of the process, but it became easier to decide a school knowing the type of

person he was while recruiting me. I am thankful for my decision knowing him now.
 This was not a hard profile to do, because I did it on someone that I know that would take

the time of the day and tell me about his past and his future. Learning that he wants to see his

players successful in basketball and outside of basketball shows that he is more caring than

anyone of the team. He gives a lot of time out of his day, and family to make sure that we are

good and doing what we need to do. He said he wants us to be successful at whatever we choose.