By Reese Merritt
@reesemerritt_
Albert Einstein once said that “everything is energy and that’s all there is to it.”
In Tahaad Pettiford’s case, all of his energy flows through his body, seamlessly floating in air from the push of his legs off the court. Whether it be a 3-point shot or not, that same energy transfers through the ball.
And there, the ball floats. It floats, arching, until it has passed through the hoop.
Pettiford redistributes his energy in the best way possible to give his team, Hudson Catholic High School, the best chance to win. And that’s all there is to it.
Despite a close 72-67 loss versus Gonzaga College High School on Sunday morning at the 2024 Spalding Hoophall Classic, Pettiford put his team on his back. The Hudson Catholic guard made four of his eight 3-point attempts, 12 of his 18 field goal attempts, and scored a whopping 33 points – nearly scoring half of the Hawks’ points.
“I knew that it wasn’t over,” Pettiford said. “You just have to keep fighting… we were gonna come together and make our way back. I felt like that part of the game was really exciting.”
As close as the game appears in the final score, halftime conveyed a different message.
The Hawks were down 37-22 at the half, and Pettiford stapled a particular mindset into his own head and his teammates, encouraging them on the court.
Nearly halfway through the first quarter, Pettiford received a deep pass along the sideline from teammate Omari Moore, which led to an immediate score as Pettiford drove toward the rim. When the clock stopped at 4:10 directly after the score, Pettiford made a point to high-five Moore.
“I let [my teammates] know, ‘It’s not over until the last buzzer, until the clock hits zero,’” Pettiford said. “Anything can happen. Miracles can always happen, so you just have to keep fighting.”
Pettiford, a senior, has been committed to Auburn University for almost a full year, committing on Feb. 1, 2023.
Before Pettiford can ever remember, his mother and father were the ones to put a basketball in his hand for the first time. While reminiscing about his basketball life as a young kid, one of Pettiford’s fondest memories was winning his third grade national championship.
Pettiford said, “If anything I could go back to, I would probably go back to that time.”
At that time, Pettiford was on the same team as freshman guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Elliot Cadeau, who attended Link Academy. Both Pettiford and Cadeau are originally from N.J., and have been able to shine on the court as childhood friends, all the way to playing AAU basketball for the New Heights Lightning team in the 2023 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit.
Outside of basketball, Pettiford takes some of his energy into an artistic approach. When in class or depending on the situation, according to Pettiford, drawing is a creative outlet he prefers to seek out.
“In class I might just doodle,” Pettiford said. “I have a few friends, they like to draw too. [If] we see something, we’re like, ‘Yo, let’s try this’ and I do it too.”
Pettiford has proven that he is the opposite of indolent, putting every ounce of energy into his play, into his team and into all of his interests. His hands create the magic, whether it be shooting the ball or putting the writing utensil to the page.
Photo by Nick Storlazzi/The Student