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Brother's love turns ex-Concord player's life around

Carron J. Phillips
The News Journal

When Quincy Pettiford was 16, he could count on two things: basketball and an uncertain future.

AAU summer games were Pettiford's only option. His grades weren't good enough for him to play on his high school team.

"Playing basketball, and it was my main focus," Pettiford said. "School wasn't really a big thing for me, so I wasn't doing too well."

Pettiford also found himself involved with the wrong crowd.

"I had difficulty choosing which friends to hang around."

It took a move away from home, a strong sibling and support from coaches and teammates for Pettiford to turn it all around.

In 2008, while Quincy Pettiford was heading down a dangerous path at home near Virginia Beach, his brother, Michael, was earning a degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

After graduation, Michael moved to north Wilmington and worked just across the Pennsylvania border at Sunoco.

The next summer, Michael realized his brother's future was in jeopardy. After some serious family discussions, Quincy decided to leave home and move in with his Michael in Delaware.

"I mentioned that maybe a change of environment would be good for him," Michael said. "He spent a week during his spring break and summer with me, and met some of the kids that were his age at the YMCA that was close to where I was staying at the time that went to Concord [High]."

“I tried to deflect as much of the responsibility of his development back on him as possible,” said Michael Pettiford (right) of his brother Quincy (left).

Quincy moved in with Michael, who soon became his brother's legal guardian. Their bond grew even stronger through basketball. According to Michael, they played three to four times a week.

Now, Quincy is 23. He recently finished his college basketball career. He was a four-year starter and one of the veteran leaders of Wesley College's men's basketball team. More importantly, Quincy Pettiford is on schedule to graduate with an accounting degree in December.

"I tried to deflect as much of the responsibility of his development back on him as possible," said Michael, who is pursuing a master's in business administration at the University of Delaware. "That was probably a lot to ask of someone who was going to turn 17 in two weeks, but it was the type of wakeup call he needed."

While Michael played basketball with his younger brother, he emphasized another priority.

"He was just on me about my grades, and being able to play basketball for my school for the first time motivated me to keep my grades up so I could keep playing," Quincy said. "I just kept grinding."

Concord head coach Ralph Flowers credits Quincy's Raider teammates.

"We had Jordan Dupree, Keith Yancey, some really good players," Flowers said. "They took Quincy under their wings. He met some good guys at Concord and just started doing great in the classroom - over a 3.3 grade point average. And we know what he did on the court. At 6-foot-3, he was a great shooting guard for us."

During his first season at Concord, the Raiders went 17-5 and lost to Sanford 54-49 in the state semifinals. In Quincy's senior year, 2010-11, Concord went 22-2 and again lost to Sanford in the state semifinals. Sanford went on to win the state championship in both seasons.

"He just needed to be in a different setting, and Concord and Delaware gave him that. He had some academic challenges, but I think it was the situation he was in, moreso than him," Flowers said. "He's one of my all-time favorite kids."

Quincy's play at Concord caught the eye of Jerry Kobasa.

"We started recruiting him, and got lucky and got him," said Kobasa, Wesley's men's basketball coach. "A big part of that thing is what Ralph [Flowers] did, and also Quincy's brother. He's very mature, and the life that he turned around coming from Virginia and being with his brother is amazing.

"It's just the kind of story you want to hear."

Senior Quincy Pettiford averaged 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds a game for Wesley College this season.

Quincy averaged 8.2 points 5.5. rebounds a game for the Wolverines this season. Wesley finished the regular season at 12-14, and fell 87-81 to Christopher Newport University in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament. Pettiford played 31 minutes and finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

With the basketball chapter of his life complete, he plans to get an accounting-related job, possibly as an auditor.

"Now that [basketball is] over, I came to the conclusion that I'm just going to work after school," Pettiford said. "I think it's a possibility that I'll be playing in a couple of recreation leagues.

Quincy Pettiford looks back on his adolescence with an adult perspective.

"This experience has made me grow as a man. It's matured me, and sometimes you need to go through heartaches in order to grow up. I had a lot of that growing up, and it's made me do that."

Contact Carron J. Phillips at cphillips@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @carronJphillips.