It all began with a simple ball rolling across a Jersey City living room floor. No flashy training programs, no private coaches—just a father, a son, and a love for the game. “It started, basically just having a ball around the house and him taking heed to it,” shared Travis Pettiford, remembering how his son first gravitated toward basketball at the age of three. From there, the grind never stopped. Travis made it his mission to hammer home the fundamentals over flash. Day after day, rep after rep.

And slowly, that three-year-old grew into something special. “He’s just special. There’s nothing he can’t do,” said Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell after Tahaad Pettiford dropped 20 points in the Sweet 16 win over Michigan. Fifteen of those points came in the second half alone, with the freshman floor general igniting a 20-2 run that erased a nine-point deficit and launched Auburn into the Elite Eight. But if you ask head coach Bruce Pearl what separates Pettiford, he won’t start with stats or highlights.

He’ll point to something deeper. “Not a word. Not a body language, shoulder shrug, rolled eye ever from Tahaad,” Pearl said. “Because if he did, his dad would slap it right out of him.” Pearl’s words might bring a chuckle, but behind them lies immense respect. Pettiford’s maturity, discipline, and humility are what make him truly invaluable to the Tigers, not just his clutch shots or flashy handles. So, Pearl isn’t wrong to praise him. Neither this time nor six days ago when he said something similar. “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“.

Despite coming off the bench, Pettiford has been a consistent force during Auburn’s NCAA Tournament run. He’s averaged 11.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 42.5% from the field—and doing it all with grace and grit. Through all the games in this season, he’s started just once, when Denver Jones was injured, yet he has never tried to stand out, as Jones said. His mindset just doesn’t work that way.

In the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, he poured in 19 points, proving again that he thrives when the lights shine brightest. That’s just who he is. Quietly explosive. “Not too many freshmen are built like him,” said teammate Denver Jones. “Some people just got it. Tahaad got it.”

And the numbers back it up. Pettiford is third on the team in scoring (11.7 points) and tied for first in assists (2.9), all while coming off the bench. For a five-star, top-30 recruit and McDonald’s All-American, he was never really the star prospect despite the hype—but he’s exceeded even the expectations set for those ahead of him.

“There aren’t 25 freshmen in college this year that are better than Tahaad Pettiford,” Pearl added. “But he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He’s a little guy, and every time he goes out there to prove it.”

It’s that chip, that fire, and that work ethic—fueled by his upbringing in Jersey City and sharpened by a very important person in his life. No, it’s not his head coach, Bruce Pearl. It’s a former Montclair University forward, whose own game was molded by St. Anthony High School legend Bob Hurley.

How did Tahaad Pettiford’s quiet fire forge him into a rising star?

Every ounce of confidence, discipline, and edge that Tahaad Pettiford brings to the court can be traced back to one man—his father, Travis. It’s because his father has only one mission: to set his son apart. “You gotta go against bigger and faster players,” Travis once said. “I figured if he played up, played hard, the game would get easier as he got older.”

And so, Tahaad didn’t grow up playing with kids his age. He was constantly thrown into battles with older, stronger hoopers. That mindset—to embrace the challenge, to never expect anything easy—became the foundation of who he is today. So, nothing scares him. “As long as the rim is 10 feet and the court’s 94 feet, it’s just basketball,” Travis said, recalling Tahaad facing double- and triple-teams at Hudson Catholic

But where did Travis get that mentality that Pettiford has so effortlessly adopted?

It all started at the legendary St. Anthony High School, under the equally legendary coach Bob Hurley. Travis played under a man who built warriors out of underdogs. And those lessons—passed down from Hurley to Travis—became the heartbeat of Tahaad’s game.

Even the hand Tahaad shoots with is a result of his dad’s watchful eye. “I’m right-handed, actually,” Tahaad revealed. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

Sure, he writes with his right. Brushes his teeth with his right. But when Travis saw his six-year-old’s jumper come off smoother from the left? He told him to stick with it. And now, Tahaad attacks defenses from either side, finishing with both hands like a seasoned pro. And this remarkable adaptability can, without any ifs and buts, be owed to his court vision, something no one ever taught him and could never have.

“Being able to get downhill both ways, finish with both hands—it’s helped my game a lot,” Tahaad added. Thanks to these abilities and skill sets, he delivers when it matters the most!

As a freshman at Hudson Catholic, Pettiford dropped 40 points in a triple-overtime win over Harper’s Don Bosco squad. And just last year, as a senior? He dropped 42 points and hit two buzzer-beaters—one to force OT and another to win it—against powerhouse Roselle Catholic.

That clutch DNA? It followed him straight to Auburn. Even though family ties ran deep at UConn with Danny Hurley, Tahaad chose his own path. “They gonna kill me, but he picked Auburn,” Travis joked, standing on a confetti-covered court after the Tigers’ Elite Eight win. “He chose his path. Auburn is his home.”

And what a home it’s become.

Despite starting just one game all season, Tahaad has emerged as one of the Tigers’ most dangerous weapons. Especially in the NCAA Tournament, where he’s been Auburn’s second-best offensive threat behind All-American Johni Broome. Every time he checks in, it’s like flipping a switch—the pace quickens, defenders panic, and Tahaad lets his game do the talking.

A blur of speed, confidence, and shot-making, he’s become Auburn’s secret weapon. But don’t mistake his silence for passiveness. Tahaad isn’t loud because he doesn’t have to be. His game roars. And while he is often overlooked because of his lean build, too, all he probably has to do is remember that ball rolling in his house and his father’s iron will. After that, nothing is new to him.