Ahead of his Fore the Children golf fundraiser, Bruce Pearl addressed top stars upcoming decision, noting that the freshman still has “a chance to come back.”
“He’s got a chance to come back,” Pearl said. “We’ll probably know in about a week’s time, maybe eight or nine days, about what’s going to happen there. Again, he’s still in the same position he’s been in the whole time.” The Tigers’ head coach also suggested that a guaranteed first-round pick would likely convince Pettiford to stay in the draft.
“And that is if he can get in the first round, he’s gonna go,” Pearl added. “And if he can get in the first round, he should go. If he doesn’t feel and his folks don’t feel like he is gonna be in there in the 20s somewhere, then he’ll come back.”
Finally, Pearl confirmed that Pettiford would step into a starting role if he returns.
“If he does come back, he’s going to have to play an expanded role, which I know is something that is exciting to him and probably exciting to our fan base, too, because we’ll get to see more of him,” Pearl said. “He’ll be a starter. There will be more on him.”
Pettiford has until the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline on May 28 to make his final decision.