A beloved former Alabama player and assistant coach is heading to the NCAA Tournament.
With Kennesaw State's 71-60 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, the Owls captured the Conference USA Championship for head coach Antoine Pettway, a former Crimson Tide star and long-time assistant coach.
In Pettway's third season as the head coach, he has led the program to just its second NCAA Tournament berth all time.
After an impressive playing career at the Capstone from 2000-2004, Pettway spent more than a decade in various assistant coaching roles for the Crimson Tide under head coaches Mark Gottfried, Anthony Grant, Avery Johnson, and then Nate Oats.
While Bryan Hodgson has the chance to join him on Sunday, Pettway becomes the first former Oats assistant to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament.
Congrats to @AntoinePettway and @KSUOwlsMBB making the NCAA Tournament! Great coach but even better person! https://t.co/iiWzWVU6tT
— Nate Oats (@nate_oats) March 15, 2026
PETTWAY!
— Preston Murphy (@coach_pmurph) March 15, 2026
Antoine Pettway guides Kennesaw State to 2nd NCAA Tournament appearance ever
Pettway has led the Owls to improvement in each of his three seasons on the bench, despite losing recruiting gems to the Transfer Portal like star guard Adrian Wooley, who parlayed a strong freshman season for Kennesaw State to become one of the most highly sought-after players in the portal a year ago before landing at Louisville.
Pettway's first team at Kennesaw finished 15-16, before jumping to 19-14 and a 4th place finish in the C-USA a season ago. This year, the Owls slipped a little in the regular season standings by finishing in a tie for 6th place, but won three games in three days over Western Kentucky, Sam Houston, and Louisiana Tech to earn a bid to the Big Dance.
The Owls may have a chance to win an NCAA Tournament game, too, though it will come in the First Four. In Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology on ESPN, Kennesaw State is a projected 16-seed and projected to face off in the First Four with Prairie View, with the winner moving on to play 1-seed Florida in the Round of 64.
Pettway's successful third season with the Owls, along with his youth, recruiting acumen, and scouting ability, could make him a prime candidate during this coaching carousel for a bigger job.