Trey Petty, cousin of former Alabama basketball star John Petty Jr., becomes Stillman 1,000-point sc

After two seasons at West Alabama, Trey Petty needed a change of scenery. After receiving little interest from other schools, his phone rang. On the line was John Teasley, coach of the Stillman Tigers.

"Nobody wanted me to play for their team, but Stillman gave me a chance. I told them my situation and they believed in me from day one," Petty said.

After that phone call, Petty never looked back, scoring his 1,000th point for the school on Thursday, Feb. 10, against Oakwood University. He is the school's third to reach that milestone, following Rodnerius Lewis (2014-16) and Markeith Madison (2011-15).

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"He’ll talk, hustle, rebound and more. He’s the leader of this team and if we do anything, it will be because of him," guard Derrick Finklea said. "He's nicknamed the Energizer Bunny; he always brings a ton of energy to the game."

Teasley wants every one of his players to look at Petty as an example.

"That’s what we are looking for as college coaches," Teasley said. "If a kid has a motor like that, we want them."

Petty is the cousin of former Alabama basketball star John Petty Jr., now with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League.

Part of Teasley's job is coaching young men in life as well as basketball.

"One of the biggest things we preach around here is family and it being bigger than basketball," Teasley said.

Trey Petty likes to rattle opposing players.

"I think I talk a lot of smack, and I stay on them (opponents). I back it up with my play and play hard," he said.

Petty is the unquestioned leader of the Tigers. He works in the classroom to earn a degree in physical education.

"He’s the poster player of our program," Teasley said. "He tries to do the right thing all the time and he loves his teammates. He’s always trying to get better in the classroom and he’s one of those guys that it’s been a pleasure to be around."

Petty recalls one memory of his time at Stillman that stands out more than any other.

"My favorite memory is when we went to the Sweet 16 in Kansas (last season). That was just different for me, and not a lot of people get to do that," Petty said.

Petty wants to stay around the game after graduation.

"I want to become a coach or personal trainer," he said. "I want to help kids less fortunate than me growing up who didn’t have too much; I want to be a big brother to them."