Bolingbrook's Brady Pettigrew emerges as a national star, weighs college options

Brady Pettigrew’s social media accounts are full of famous and familiar basketball faces.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer, local legend Derrick Rose and Arkansas coach John Calipari all recently visited Pettigrew in Bolingbrook’s gym. There are clips of Pettigrew playing against current NBA player Paolo Banchero and photographs of a recent official visit to North Carolina.

Over the offseason, Pettigrew emerged as a consensus five-star recruit and a top 10 player in the national class of 2028. He’s the first local player to reach those heights since Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander in 2014.

At this point, Pettigrew can play at any college he chooses. The 6-3 guard has more than 35 scholarship offers, including Duke and North Carolina.

The major question surrounding Pettigrew now isn’t where he will head to college, but when. Pettigrew is good enough to skip his senior year, head to college, and get a major payday one year ahead of schedule.

That strategy worked out well for Joliet native Jeremiah Fears, who is family friends with the Pettigrews. Fears skipped his senior year of high school and was the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft after one year at Oklahoma. Bryce Heard, a recent star at Homewood-Flossmoor, also skipped his senior year after leading the Vikings to the state title as a junior. He started college at North Carolina State and is now at Dayton.

Titcus Pettigrew, Brady’s dad, is the Bolingbrook football coach and has a better grasp of the college recruiting scene than most dads. Pettigrew played football at Penn State and Brady will be his third son to play college basketball.

Trey Pettigrew, Brady’s oldest brother, recently played at Nevada, Bradley and Eastern Michigan. JT Pettigrew, another older brother, is currently a sophomore at Valparaiso and was runner-up for MVC freshman of the year honors.

Unlike several of the area’s recent elite basketball recruits, the Pettigrews are not considering sending Brady to a prep school. It will be Bolingbrook or college next year, according to Titcus Pettigrew. Brady could be a package deal with his brother JT for next season.

“I have about nine colleges that are going to take both if Brady decides to come out,” Titcus Pettigrew said. “But I believe in 2028 because we talk about legacy. [Brady] has a huge backing in the community. And with all these rule changes in 2027, [colleges] are taking the last of the [older players]. I kind of just want to push it by and let him be a 2028.”

Bolingbrook is still alive in the state football playoffs and has been a top 10 team in the Super 25 for much of the season. Brady Pettigrew was on the sideline watching the Raiders’ victory against Lockport last weekend. It was just one part of an incredibly busy weekend for the family.

Titcus Pettigrew is currently coaching one of the state’s best football teams in the playoffs and managing the recruitment of a top-10 national basketball player. He’s also watching another son in college basketball and developing his daughter, Joy Pettigrew, who is one of the best eighth-grade basketball players in the nation.

“It is called No Doze,” Titcus Pettigrew joked. “I will have some time when it is all said and done to sleep, so now I’m burning 22 candles. But I have found my why in life, and it is these kids. It is my kids, the football kids, basketball kids, volleyball kids. They bring me so much joy: my family, my wife, my kids, and the Bolingbrook family. I love it. When I feel like I’m tired, I will know I am ready to step away.”