Five days ago, the junior guard was flying. Petty entered a crucial road game at LSU averaging 18.4 points on 51.7 percent shooting over his past 10 outings. During that span, he had recorded nine double-digit scoring performances and helped lead the Crimson Tide to seven wins.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Last week was one to forget for Alabama basketball, and no one wants to do that more than John Petty Jr.

Petty came off the bench during Alabama’s trip to Baton Rouge, La., after head coach Nate Oats looked to make a statement on the team’s leadership. The result was a humiliating 90-76 defeat in which Petty scored a season-low 4 points on 1 of 7 shooting.

Following the game, the junior held a one-on-one meeting with his head coach ensuring him that he would show more effort moving forward. Petty was then re-inserted into the starting lineup against Arkansas over the weekend. However, his troubles on the bayou followed him back to Tuscaloosa as he accounted for 8 points on 3 of 8 shooting, including 1 of 5 from beyond the arc in an 82-78 loss to the Razorbacks.

In total, the former five-star’s shooting slump on the week looked like this: 6 points per game, 26.7 percent from the floor, 12.5 percent from 3.

“It’s been a rough week, but there’s ups and downs in basketball. There’s ups and downs everywhere,” Petty said. “The good thing is, we’ve got more games to come. We still got a lot left, so I just got to put it behind me and keep playing.”

Since sitting Petty early against LSU, Oats noted a change in focus from his star guard. Following Monday’s practice, Petty owned up to his recent poor performances, stating he was “loping around” and needed to be a better role model for his teammates. Those leadership qualities will prove even more essential with the absence of starting forward Herbert Jones, who will miss the next few weeks with a fractured wrist.

Along with being Alabama’s best defender, Jones is one of the Crimson Tide’s biggest leaders both on the floor and in the locker room. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound wing tops Alabama’s chart in blue-collar points and leads the team in dunks (13), charges taken (18) and floor dives (23). More often than not, he serves as the team’s organizer on defense, informing his teammates where to be on the court at all times.

“It affects guys a lot,” Petty said of Jones’ absence. “Guys are going to have to step up harder and play defense at a higher level, even though we should be playing at a higher level as it is. Just like Coach said, That’s a guy who takes away mistakes, who comes in and gives his all. He’s like a lockdown corner, just like Coach said.

“His absence really affects us, but we’ve got his back, so we’re going to do the best we can until he gets back.”



So far, things are looking promising.