Louisville basketball: Cards get their point guard of the future
By Dalton Pence
Chris Mack landed Louisville basketball’s second ’21 commit.
It’s been exactly 213 days since Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball program landed their first commitment in the class of 2021. That drought ended on Wednesday afternoon when newly rated four-star point guard, Bobby Pettiford Jr, became the second member of the Cards’ 2021 recruiting class along with Bryce Hopkins.
Things moved rather quickly for Pettiford Jr. and the Cards after Mack extended a scholarship offer to the North Carolina product and then three-star recruit back on May 6th. Many wondered why the program would offer a player ranked outside of the top 100, something Louisville traditionally hasn’t done a lot of, but once they put the tape on that question quickly evaporated.
The 6-foot-1 lead guard has seen a recent soar in stock, rising up to 91st-overall in the 247Sports player rankings and ranks as the13th-best point guard nationally, and the fifth-best prospect in North Carolina and gives Louisville the sixth-ranked recruiting class with many spots still left to fill.
Pettiford Jr chose Louisville over Providence, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, and a handful of others after seeing his recruitment pick up right in the midst of the national pandemic. Coined as an ‘under the radar’ prospect, the lack of exposure has hindered his overall ranking. From missing last AAU season with injuries to losing this one due to the coronavirus, Pettiford Jr hasn’t been given many opportunities to shine in the summer circuits.
Mack has one of the best eyes for identifying talent, even if not many others do; it is assumed Pettiford’s stock will continue to rise. Let’s take a look at how he fits in the Louisville system.