Above the Rim with Tahaad Pettiford: 'I came to win'

AUBURN, Ala. – A McDonald’s All-American, freshman Tahaad Pettiford earned scholarship offers from elite programs from coast to coast. 

He chose Auburn.

“It felt like another home,” said Pettiford, the No. 2 point guard and No. 21 overall player the Class of 2024, as ranked by 247 Sports. “BP, it’s a great organization. I knew a couple players were coming back, it’s a winning organization. I came to win.”

Win, he has. One of two true freshmen on a senior-laden team, Pettiford and Jahki Howard have earned key roles on the nation’s second-ranked team. 

“Amazing,” Pettiford said. “This is what I planned to come do. We want to keep winning and keep striving to win that national championship.”

For the 6-1, 175-pound Pettiford, the biggest adjustment to college basketball has been handling opponents’ strength.  

“Getting in the weight room with Coach D (director of sports performance Damon Davis) and getting stronger has helped me a lot,” Pettiford said. “There’s grown men out there.”

A left-handed sharpshooter, Pettiford boasts a 42.3 3-point shooting percentage through Auburn’s first 15 games. 

When opponents try to force Pettiford to go to his right, Tahaad has answers, thanks to coaching from his dad, Travis Pettiford. 

“When I was young, I used to shoot with my right, but it just didn’t look right, so my dad, seeing how my left-hand shot looked better, so we switched over ever since,” said Pettiford, who is equally comfortable finishing at the rim with either hand. “Being able to go to my right and left at any time is a blessing.”

Pettiford burst onto the college basketball stage by scoring 21 points in his second game to help Auburn beat No. 4 Houston in Texas on Nov. 9 before dropping 20 points vs. No. 9 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, making 9 of 16 3-pointers in those high-profile matchups.

“It wasn’t the first time something big happened like that,” said Pettiford, no stranger to headline-making high school hoops performances in New Jersey. “I was prepared for it, so I just had to keep my head down and keep going.”

Fatherly advice helps Tahaad navigate his freshman season on an even keel.

“My dad always told me you’re going to have your bad days and your good days,” he said. “Don’t let your good days get your head too high because that bad game can bring you all the way down. I just try to stay poised and level-headed.”

Pettiford’s poise impresses his veteran teammates.

“The maturation he plays with, that’s something you don’t see a lot of freshmen come in and play like that, at such a high level,” senior Miles Kelly said. 

Tahaad, again, credits his dad, for his advanced demeanor.

“Always playing up,” Pettiford said. “I never really played my age group growing up. My dad always had me playing a year or two up playing with the older kids. Playing in a grown man’s league with my dad was something that helped form my maturity.”

After scoring 18 points against Purdue, Pettiford has reached double figures in each of his first two SEC games, at Neville Arena against Missouri and on the road against Texas. 

“The fans, they come and support every game,” he said. “When we’re on break, you wouldn’t think it’s going to look like this, but you come in here, it looks like it’s sold out every time. It’s just amazing.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer