Longtime Alabama basketball assistant Antoine Pettway gets first win as head coach

KENNESAW -- New Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway waited 17 years to get his chance to be a head coach.

Leading into his first season with the Owls he knew there would be ups and downs, but for 45 minutes prior to tipoff, Pettway was caught in-between.

He was stuck in an elevator.

As game time got closer he started to get concerned he may miss the debut he waited his entire career for.

"The first 15 minutes (I was stuck), I was like, Ok," the former long-time Alabama assistant said, laughing. "Once it hit 45 minutes I started banging on the door.

"I always take the stairs. But I was upstairs visiting in the alumni suite and (somebody) held the elevator door open for me and said ,'Come on coach.'

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"I can guarantee that will never happen again.

"Firefighters eventually were able to get the doors open and Pettway said he ran out of the elevator quickly and onto the floor.

For the fans, there was a short five-minute delay as the drama unfolded, but it did not put a damper on the pregame celebration for the crowd of 2,733, the fifth-largest to see a game in program history. The Owls received a long standing ovation as the new championship banner in the Convocation Center for winning last year's ASUN regular season and tournament championships, along with making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

"I was excited," senior forward Demond Robinson said. "It was a joy to be back and to play in front of our fans again. The banner really does look good hung up there.

"To make sure it looks better, we need to have a younger brother join it."

Robinson made sure the defense of the titles got off on the right foot, he had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Along the way he also scored the 1,000th point of his career as the Owls (1-0) started fast and overwhelmed Oakwood (0-4), an NAIA program from Huntsville, Alabama. KSU opened on a 20-3 run, led 57-20 at the half and cruised to a 93-46 victory Tuesday.

"I'm just so blessed," said Pettway, who added he had more than 40 members of his friends, family and church who traveled to watch the game. "It was a surreal moment. I'm just so blessed to coach a team like this."

He also said he is looking forward to trying to make sure the team is celebrating another banner ceremony next season.

"I think about it all the time," he said. "We want to send (Robinson, guards Terrell Burden and Quincy Ademokoya, along with reserve forwards Cole Larue and Armani Harris) out the right way. Because it's harder to repeat."

Kennesaw State had five players in double figures. Simeon Cottle, set a new career high with 16 points to go with six rebounds. Frankquon Sherman, a freshman from Grovetown, had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his college debut. Jamel King, who transferred in from West Virginia finished with 13 points and freshman RJ Johnson, Mr. Basketball in the state of Alabama last year, had 12 points and eight assists.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Former Alabama player, assistant Antoine Pettway gets first head coach win