Alabama men’s basketball sophomores John Petty and Herbert Jones have been invited to participate in the 2018 Nike Basketball Skills Academy on Aug. 8-12, in Los Angeles.
Both Petty and Jones will have a chance to train with current and former NBA players.
“This is an incredible opportunity for both of us,” Petty said. “We are excited to represent The University of Alabama and our basketball program in Los Angeles, and we’re looking forward to learning a lot.”
Said Jones, a Hale County graduate, “I am very excited to be invited and participate in the Nike Skills Academy. This is a great opportunity for both of us. I expect to learn a lot, and we just want to take advantage of this opportunity and have fun.”
The Crimson Tide duo is among approximately 60 of the nation’s elite collegiate and high school players who were selected by invitation only to participate in the academy, which began in 2015 and was attended by former Alabama standout Collin Sexton a year ago. Sexton was selected No. 8 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers this past June.
Last season, Petty played in all 36 games, and made 29 starts, averaged 10.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He set a freshman school record by going 90-of-242 (.372) from 3-point range, while averaging 2.5 per game, which ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
Jones quickly became known as one of the top defensive players in the conference and was chosen by the UA coaching staff as the team’s most outstanding defensive player. He recorded a school-record 23 charges taken in 2017-18, while also leading the Tide with 44 steals. He finished the season averaging 4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, which ranked seventh in the SEC, across 35 contests.
