Southern Trips For Skilled Forward

Ryan Pettinella, a skilled 6-8, 210 pound power forward from McQuaid Jesuit H.S. in Rochester, N.Y., enjoyed some fine performances on Saturday at the 10th Annual Metro Classic Tournament/HSNC qualifier.

Pettinella told the Insiders Report/Rivalshoops.com that he may swing down to the state of Virginia for some unofficial visits in the next week or so. Some possible targets along the way might include Richmond, William & Mary, George Mason and James Madison.

While he is still wide open at this stage and considering a wide number of colleges, Pettinella said that William & Mary, Holy Cross and George Mason have been among the more serious suitors this spring.

Because of his 1200+ score on the SAT, Pettinella is also getting heavy Ivy League recruiting interest. Other schools he rattled off as expressing preliminary interest include Northwestern, Rice, Winthrop, Quinnipiac, New Mexico, Bucknell, Yale, Brown, South Carolina and South Florida.

Right now, there's little doubt that Pettinella will be a priority for many mid major programs this summer. Whether or not the high majors enter the picture could be highly dependent on his summer performance.

While he needs to get stronger and become a better finisher in heavy low post traffic, Pettinella moves quite well and is light on his feet. He can score in an array of ways in, around and facing the basket, and he's very comfortable shooting short-midrange jumpers where his deft touch comes in handy. Call him a finesse four man with upside because his frame hasn't filled out yet.

Initially, Pettinella expected to attend the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis this summer with teammate Tyler Relph. While Relph is indeed headed to Nike, Pettinella was put on the waiting list for the prestigious camp. In the meantime, an invite from the adidas ABCD Camp came his way, and that's where Pettinella and teammate Marty O'Sullivan expect to be in early July when the live period kicks up, according to McQuaid Jesuit Head Coach Joe Marchese.

After ABCD, Pettinella will travel with with Mickey Walker's Donyell Marshall Foundation program to the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, and then wrap up the summer in Florida at the AAU Nationals with a Rochester, N.Y., based program.

We'll keep you posted on Pettinella and other members of the 2003 class in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!