Pettway Will Play at Oklahoma State

Aaron Pettway didn't have a shortage of schools chasing him this year, but the 6-10 sophomore center from Hutchinson C.C. in Kansas remained loyal to the schools that were in there from the start.

As a result, Pettway selected the only school he officially visited this spring, Oklahoma State, at a press conference on Monday at HCC.

Pettway visited Oklahoma State from Apr. 9-11, and picked the Cowboys over interest from Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Alabama.

"Our coaching staff is extremely excited for Aaron and the opportunities he will have at Oklahoma State," Hutchinson Head Coach Chad Wintz said. "We feel very comfortable with the fit. We feel that Aaron has prospered with his experience at HCC and he will continue to advance his skills and development at OSU."

Added OSU Head Coach Eddie Sutton: "Aaron is going to give us better depth along the front line. He’ll certainly challenge for a starting position. He’s a player that has a lot of opportunity to mature and to become a better player, because he didn’t play high school basketball. He has a lot of talent, and we feel like he’s certainly got a bright future here and will be a welcome addition."

Hutchinson Sports Information Director Steve Carpenter was on hand for the press conference, and he was gracious enough to pass us along quotes from Pettway and Blue Dragon Head Coach Chad Wintz. That information, along with a statistical overview of Pettway's career, appears below.

QUOTES FROM AARON PETTWAY @ MONDAY NEWS CONFERENCE

Question: Why did you choose Oklahoma State?

Aaron Pettway: It came down to winning tradition, Eddie Sutton and the opportunity to fit right in with his system. He showed me that I could fit right in and that's what I was looking for.

Q: How does it feel getting to go play for a legend like Coach Sutton?

AP: It feels like a dream come true. I never thought that I would be doing something like this. When I was in the Air Force, I thought I was going to be there for the rest of my life. It's kind of flattering and surprising. I'm still trying to take it all in.

Q: What were your impressions of Coach Sutton through the recruiting process?

AP: Coach Sutton was real cool. Every time I talked to him, he talked everything about basketball, which was good. But we didn't talk about the school all the time, we talked about life itself, and that was something that I liked. There wasn't too much advertising going on.

Q: Was it exciting for you watching them through their NCAA Tournament run?

AP: I never thought the last four schools I was looking at would make it to the NCAA Tournament and get so deep in the tournament. It was good and it was bad. It was hard to really figure out who I would go with because everybody was so good.

Q: What do you think you can bring to the Oklahoma State team?

AP: I think I can bring a defensive presence that they need and a little more size in the middle and just someone that can help spread the floor and move the ball in transition.

Q: Do you think being in the Air Force helped you mature and get you to this point?

AP: Yes, sir. It did help me grow up a lot and helped me with my decision making on and off the court. Being a young guy coming into any school is tough. There are a lot of guys who should go that route, to go into any

branch of the service to get their maturity level up.

QUOTES FROM HCC HEAD COACH CHAD WINTZ REGARDING AARON PETTWAY

Question: Coach, could you please talk about Aaron's progress and what it has taken for him to get to this point of signing with Oklahoma State?

Chad Wintz: We feel like Aaron has made terrific progress while here at Hutchinson Community College. He has really prospered with the junior college experience in that he had very limited experience coming in. I look for nothing but bigger and better things to come for him.

Q: He didn't play high school ball, what was the risk factor in signing him and placing in such a key role so early in his career?

CW: There's just not a lot of Aaron Pettways out there in terms of physical stature. So, it really wasn't a risk in our minds. We felt like he's extremely athletic and he has a great frame. It was just a matter of repetition to develop as a player. And he will continue to do that. He has some learning to do at the next level as well.

Q: How did you find Aaron?

CW: We were recruiting a point guard in the Washington D.C. area, and Aaron just happened to be in the same gymnasium, so it was one of those coincidental situations. We had some help from one of the coaches who was helping us with another player in that area.

Q: Defensively, Aaron's always been a solid player, but the last 10 games of his sophomore season, he really seemed to turn it on offensively. Could you talk about his progress offensively?

CW: I think his (offensive) skills are way underrated. I think the last stretch of the season for us; the reason why his offensive numbers went up was because of his mentality. I think he took an aggressive approach that he hadn't for a period of time and that's encouraging. I know he will have that approach and then some at the next level.

Q: From your perspective, what kind of fit is Aaron at Oklahoma State?

CW: Our coaching staff is extremely excited for Aaron and the opportunities he will have at Oklahoma State We feel very comfortable with the fit. This was Aaron's decision. He is an extremely mature young man and I think he's worked through everything like an adult would. We back him 100 percent.

STATISTICAL OVERVIEW OF AARON PETTWAY'S CAREER @ HUTCHINSON

After posting 63 rejections in his freshman season, Pettway blocked 89 shots this past season to set a new single-season mark. He finished with 152 blocks for his career, far and away the school's career leader in that category.

Always willing to put in extra time to improve, all that work started to pay off on the offensive end of the floor during the second half of the 2004 Jayhawk Conference season.

Averaging only around six points and five rebounds per contest for most of the season, Pettway took his offensive game to a new level, averaging 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds and shooting 49.5 percent during the final 10 games of the season (HCC was 8-2 over that stretch).

He scored in double figures in nine of those 10 games, including a 15-point, 15-rebound game against Labette in the first round of the Region 6 Tournament. Pettway was 7 of 7

shooting in that game.

Pettway was a second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection this season. Hutchinson went 29-4 and won the Jayhawk West championship outright for the first time since 1988.

Pettway wound up averaging 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 45.8 percent during his sophomore season.

For his career, Pettway averaged 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

Aaron Pettway’s career statistics

Year GP GS Points Avg. FG/A FG% 3PT/A 3PG% FT/A FT% Rebs Avg. Assts Blocks Steals

02-03 32 24 146 4.6 65-154 42.2 0-0 0.0 16-34 47.1 164 5.1 18 63

15

03-04 32 32 254 7.9 97-212 45.8 0-0 0.0 60-93 64.5 189 5.9 14 89

27

Career 64 56 400 6.3 162-366 44.3 0-0 0.0 76-127 59.8 353 5.5 32 152

42

Career highs

Single-season blocked shots: 89 (2003-2004)

Career blocked shots: 152 (2002-2004)

Points – 15 points (2 times)

Field goals – 7 (3 times)

Field-goal attempts – 14

Free throws – 8 (1 time)

Rebounds – 15 (1 time)

Assists – 2 (2 times)

Steals – 3 (2 times)