College Sports

JACKSONVILLE — New Jacksonville State basketball coach James Green is now on his own.

Antoine Pettway, the JSU assistant made interim coach during the coaching search and the only assistant retained upon Green's hiring, has been hired as a fulltime assistant coach at Alabama. He replaces Kobie Baker, who will move to a new position within the Tide athletic department created to facilitate some family responsibilities.

As a JSU assistant, Pettway was credited with landing a number of the Gamecocks' top recent recruits and his main charge from athletic director Jim Fuller during the transition from former coach Mike LaPlante's tenure was to continue finding players. JSU signed two players in the early period before the change, but has yet to announce its complete signing class.

Green has added at least two assistants since his hiring, but Pettway represented the last holdover from the previous staff.

Pettway orchestrated one of the most memorable plays in Alabama basketball history when he made a last-second layup against Florida to give the Tide the 2002 Southeastern Conference regular season title.

"I'm proud I was able to help add to that tradition as a player and now I will have the opportunity to help add to many more great moments on the basketball court for Alabama as a coach," Pettway said.

Pettway is the second LaPlante assistant to find another job. Earlier this summer, Joel VanMeter was hired at Morehead State.