WORCESTER—Home is where the heart is. For Coach Al Pettway, coming home means going back to where his legendary basketball career began—Worcester State University.
Pettway, the program’s all-time leading scorer and member of the Worcester State athletic Hall of Fame, was officially introduced as the head coach of the men’s basketball program on Thursday.
“I’m really honored and excited to be back here,” said Pettway. “For me it’s really coming full circle. I went to school here, I played here and I’m the all-time leading scorer here.”
For the last two decades Pettway served as the head boys basketball coach at North High School culminating in unprecedented back-to-back Division I state championships in 2023 and 2024, the first-ever DI titles by a Worcester public school. The Polar Bears captivated the state’s high school basketball scene for the last two years, reeling off 45 consecutive wins and finishing the 2023-24 season a perfect 24-0.
A 1994 graduate of Worcester State, Pettway scored 2,205 points in his career for the Lancers and still holds eight school records including 233 three-pointers and 226 steals. A captain and four-year starter, he played for coach Tom Moore, a Millbury native and current assistant coach for UConn, the 2024 NCAA Division I Champions. Pettway was twice named a Second Team All-New England selection and led the Lancers to an appearance in the 1994 NCAA Division III Tournament his senior year.
“I think Al Pettway is right place, right time, right now,” said Worcester State Athletic Director Michael Mudd. “His name speaks for itself in the history of Worcester State basketball.”
Pettway serves as the 12th head coach in the program’s 74-year history. He takes over for Tyler Hundley who left Worcester State to take the head coaching position at Nichols College. Pettway inherits a Lancers team that has won back-to-back Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championships while earning two straight trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Over the last two seasons, Worcester State has compiled a record of 40-16 including a 22-2 mark in MASCAC play.
A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Pettway began his coaching career with positions as an assistant at Worcester Academy, Worcester State and Assumption. He then spent 22 seasons as the head coach at North beginning in 2002.
“He really understands a Worcester State kid,” said Mudd. “We have a lot of gritty first-generation kids that have had to scratch and claw for everything they’ve achieved to this point and Al’s a mere image of that.”
While Pettway will surrender the coaching reigns of the boys basketball team at North High, he will remain a staff member at the school in his current role as dean of students. The part-time position at Worcester State “magically fits Al perfectly” noted Mudd.
“The wins that he’s had at North are terrific, but probably more importantly he’s done a tremendous job developing young men and does a lot of great things in the community and really helps these kids prepare for life after basketball,” he said.
“It’s a part-time position with full-time work,” added Pettway. “But like I told my players at North, if you want to achieve things you have to work hard.”
While winning games and championships will be important to Pettway at Worcester State, it’s not the immediate focus of what he hopes to accomplish.
“Changing young men’s lives always supersedes a conference championship or an NCAA championship,” said Pettway. “Grooming young men into better people for the future is very important.”
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
