CSNbbs

Petey’s another guy that we hope can make a big Junior step forward. The comparison that you might make with him is Adam Sollazzo, who went from 4.0 ppg to 9.2 ppg and 1.7 assists to 4.0 assists between Sophomore and Junior seasons, as his minutes increased from 14.2 to 28.2 per game.

Petey’s got a great first step and the best handle on the team. He’s best, and ETSU is best, when he’s pushing the ball hard up the court and is aggressive going to the hoop. But he needs to improve his shot and his finishing ability. Between freshman and sophomore years he went from .329 to .400 from the field, .125 to .286 from 3, and .617 to .725 from the line. He needs to keep improving those numbers. An aggressive ballhandler who can draw fouls and knock down the freethrows is invaluable at the end of a tight game.

The last 7 games of last season showed even more hope for the future as Petey averaged 4.7 assists, 1.0 turnovers, 2.3 rebounds and went 11-12 from the freethrow line in the same minutes per game (21.3) that he’d been playing all year. He reduced his turnovers from 2.2 per game as a freshman . He’s also showed defensive ability at times over the season doubling his freshman year steals from 18 to 36, with 11 games grabbing 2 or more steals. But he’s got to do that more consistently.

ETSU is going to be small this year, but guys like Petey can give us a real advantage with speed and athleticism.

PS: Petey would have led the SoCon last year with an assists to turnover ratio of 2.6.

All you can ask from a player is to improve, and Petey accomplished that last season as your analysis shows. I wish we had some +/- data to examine when Petey was on the floor/not on the floor: From the stands, it seemed like we were more effective on the both ends of the floor when Petey played.

Petey's never going to be a great shooter, but neither is Rajon Rando and it doesn't detract from Rondo's effectiveness. There were several games last year where Petey running-backed his way into the lane only to fail to finish. If he can finish 3-4 more of those per game, and develop good-enough shooting and continued stellar FT shooting, he could be a guy that defenses can't ignore.

Just a hunch, but I suspect that Devin Harris will take a major leap forward this season. Watching him against FGCU in the ASUN tournament, I kept thinking that his play foreshadowed great things to come. I think he's going to give Petey a run for his money this preseason for the staring guard position. They are two divergent lead guards, which will give us two different looks.