NCAA Basketball: Ranking 4-star PG Bobby Pettiford Jr’s final 4 teams

1. Louisville Cardinals – Candidate for Bobbi Pettiford Jr.

Louisville exceeded expectations under Chris Mack’s first season coaching the team, putting the conference on notice. Following that up, Mack guided his Cardinals to 24-7 record and a 2nd place finish in the ACC. The team sputtered in a couple stretches during conference play, but it was Louisville’s guards that helped to carry them in times of difficulty.

Versatility and playmaking was the name of the game for Darius Perry, Fresh Kimble and David Johnson. Each averaged over 2.5 assists per game leading the team and creating plays on the defensive end to keep Louisville in the thick of the action. These aspects were extremely important for a team ranked 317th nationally in steals and 247th in blocks. Johnson is the only guard of the 3 returning for the 2020 season and it’s likely he has a breakout campaign with Jordan Nwora entering the NBA Draft.

Coach Mack scoured the transfer portal this offseason and signed grad transfers Carlik Jones (Radford) and Charles Minlend (San Francisco) to bolster the backcourt. However, both will be gone from the 2021 roster leaving incoming freshman D’Andre Davis as the team’s sole guard. Mack is targeting several other backcourt options for the 2021 class, including 5-stars J.D. Davison, Jalen Warley and Hunter Sallis, as well as breakout player El Ellis from Tallahassee CC to reload the team’s backcourt depth.

Not all of these options will end up with the Cardinals, however. Each leads a very national recruitment and is being heavily pursued by a number of powerhouse programs. Pettiford joining this team would give him an early chance in the rotation, as a primary playmaker and on-ball defender. His track record would make him one of the top contributors on the roster and put him in a position to develop his offensive game without feeling tons of pressure to produce.

If the offense sputters, Mack can count on a guy like Pettiford to ignite the offense or make a play at the rim. Additionally, Louisville’s outstanding basketball tradition and placing in the ACC would give Pettiford a lot of national exposure to try and make the jump to the NBA. Playing night in and night out against some of the top programs the country provides the opportunity to boost his stock.