Having started a college basketball career fresh, and playing for the No. 1-ranked team, anyone would want more responsibility. However, Tahaad did not complain about his bench position and continued putting good numbers. “I mean, Tahaad Pettiford has not started a game and has not said a word to any of his coaches, his family has not said a word, because he was raised right,” said Bruce Pearl earlier this month about the Auburn Tigers’ freshman. The player’s maturity and the 11.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists he averaged had the coach develop a positive outlook for him. However, as it turns out now, Pettiford would have been on the coach’s radar regardless, even if he did not perform as he did earlier. After all, when the coach said that Pettiford was “raised right”, he was informed about it from someone who was there to see it.

Bruce Pearl participated in a post-game presser after the Auburn Tigers’ ‘Sweet 16’ win against the Michigan Wolverines. A reporter then asked the coach what he saw in Tahaad Pettiford that convinced him to add the player to the roster. Before he answered, Pearl took a moment to compliment Tahaad’s father, Travis, and the team’s assistant coach, Ira Bowman. He credited both of them for being “family friends”, leading to the revelation that Pearl’s assistant coach and Tahaad’s father have actually known each other for a while! In fact, Pearl revealed that Tahaad placed some specific trust in Ira when he joined, which helped him become more comfortable with the team. This was good, since Pearl and the player did not know each other well. Fortunately, Pearl now knows the player well enough to give him a ‘nasty tag’ in front of everyone.

“I want to give Johni (Broome) credit in this regard. These guys are best friends, okay. This is a senior, in his fifth year. He’s got a lot of other stuff going on. But when it comes to just messing around and having fun, this is, he’s, you know, he’s just sort of loving on that little s***” said Pearl. That last part got Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford, who were sitting beside the coach, and they let out a laugh. Despite that, Pearl continued, “He is a little s***, you know. And, he’s loved on him”.

It is not known exactly how long Travis Pettiford, Tahaad’s father, and Ira Bowman have been family friends. However, both individuals are natives of Jersey City, also the place where Tahaad began his basketball career. Ira Bowman was the one who recruited the player to the team. As Pearl earlier revealed, “(Assistant Coach) Ira Bowman did a tremendous job of identifying Tahaad very early on in the recruiting process and developed a close, trusting relationship.” That bond is now something that even now Pearl is developing with the player. He seems to be on the right track, given that he can now call the freshman a ‘little s***’ without hesitation.

Having the respect of your head coach can help to build a fulfilling college basketball career over the years. Tahaad Pettiford has already created a memorable impression on Bruce Pearl right from his first college season. Not only does the coach believe the 19-year-old is the “best freshman in the country”, he believes that it is high time the player starts getting the respect that has been missing for the last couple of years.

Bruce Pearl claims that Tahaad Pettiford has been an ‘underdog’ all his life

For the first time since the 2018-2019 season, the Auburn Tigers had secured a spot in the ‘Sweet 16’ stage of March Madness. After defeating the No. 9 seeded Creighton Bluejays on Saturday to advance to the next round, Pearl spoke to John Sadak and LaPhonso Ellis of “Westwood One”. During the conversation, he had nothing but high praise for Pettiford. After all, the player had led the offensive effort for the Tigers by scoring 23 points through 7-14 (50.0%) field goals, 2-3 (66.7%) 3-pointers, and 7-8 (87.5%) free throws. The success from the game convinced Pearl to make a bold statement, and state that the young guard had been an ‘underdog’ all his life.

“He has been an underdog his whole life,” said Pearl. “He was graded somewhere between 25 and 35 coming out of high school because he’s 5-foot-11. He’s been the best kid on the floor his entire life. It’s hard to name five freshmen who have had a better year than Tahaad Pettiford.”

According to some, Bruce Pearl might have exaggerated it in calling Tahaard an ‘underdog’ player. After all, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, the young star was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 4 point guard in the 2024 class. In the end, he picked Auburn after being given a choice between that college, the Seton Hall Pirates, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, St. John’s Red Storm, and UConn Huskies. Perhaps Ira Bowman’s pitch was convincing enough.

As he advances in his career, Tahaad Pettiford is only gaining the respect of the analysts. According to NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor, the player holds potential to be the best NBA prospect from Auburn. He stated that “He (Tahaad) doesn’t play like a freshman, and I’ve got him in my middle of the first round. I think he’s, I think he’s the best prospect on Auburn, and even though Broome obviously is the star of that team.”

Already in the Elite Eight in his freshman season, it remains to be seen just what else the future will hold in store for the star player and the coach who believes in him.