‘I’m coming for what I want.’ Auburn’s Jaylen Petty is TNT’s All-Area player of the year
After injuring his knee at last year’s state basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome, promising Auburn High School guard Jaylen Petty faced a daunting path forward.
Knee surgery, physical therapy, rehab and the prospect of missing his entire offseason playing AAU basketball and summer league hoops for Auburn could’ve allowed doubt to creep into Petty’s mind. Would he still be the same basketball player once he got back on the court?
But when Petty put on the Trojan green and gold this winter, he wasn’t just playing at the high level he flashed during his sophomore year — he was even better.
For the first time in his high school career, he was playing above the rim, flushing alley-oops with ease, finishing transition dunks and pairing newfound athleticism to an already enviable skillset of ball-handling and perimeter shooting.
“Maybe I should go get knee surgery,” Auburn coach Ryan Hansen joked to The News Tribune this week. “Whatever they put in his knee, he’s jumping out of the gym now.”
In his junior season, Petty turned into one of the area’s dominant guards, a smooth finisher who filled up the stat sheet all season. He’s The News Tribune’s 2024 All-Area boys basketball player of the year.
“I was motivated,” Petty said.
He had to force himself to stay patient while he worked back from last year’s knee injury.
“For me, it was making sure I got my reps in and making sure I wasn’t rushing myself,” he said. “I could’ve played in the summer but I told myself ‘no’ because I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent. Just making sure you’re right and your health is top tier.”
Petty, this year’s 3A North Puget Sound League MVP, averaged 25.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game this season. He scored 41 points against an out-of-state opponent at a holiday tournament. He led the Trojans to an undefeated run through the 3A NPSL, the 3A District 3/4 title and a 3A state tournament appearance.
At the Tacoma Dome, his top-seeded Trojans were upset by Lincoln (Tacoma) in the opening round.
“It was very frustrating, just because of how far we came,” Petty said of the loss. “We came up short, but at the end of the day, we were sad because we weren’t gonna be able to play together again. We tried our hardest, it just didn’t fall through.”
Petty transferred to Auburn from Rainier Beach after his freshman season. Immediately, Hansen saw someone who hated losing.
“The one thing that makes him great is his competitive spirit,” Hansen said. “You could see that right away. We did open gyms and he just wanted to win all the time.”
Now, his body has caught up to the natural talent that was evident from a young age. Some of that is natural physical maturation and that leap many high school athletes see between their sophomore and junior years, but make no mistake, Petty works hard in the weight room and in the gym, too.
“Keep staying in the gym, being consistent, being healthy and making sure you’re making your body stronger, always,” he said. “I feel like that was a high priority so that’s why I’ve been improving. Just consistency is what really grew me.”
The improvement made him a matchup issue for every team Auburn faced this season.
“His athleticism has taken a huge leap this year,” Hansen said. “That makes the game a little bit easier when you’re able to do those things and play above the rim.”
Petty hopes to add some muscle to his frame this offseason, the next step in his physical progression. He missed his last AAU season but this spring and summer, he’s ready to go.
“I’m really ready to show people who I am,” Petty said. “I’m coming for what I want.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
