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The Michigan basketball team has been inconsistent this
season. But there is one thing that the team can count on game-in
and game-out: Freshman Brent Petway is going to bring the energy,
and he’s going to bring it in huge doses. Because of his
uncanny ability to pump up the crowd and give his team a shot in
the arm, Petway compared himself to the Energizer Bunny earlier
this season. With his backboard-shaking dunks, his gravity-defying
leaps and his perfectly-timed blocks, Petway has been a catalyst
for the Wolverines. And he knows he can continue to do so for the
team down the road.

It’s no surprise that Petway idolized Michael Jordan while
growing up.

Just take a look at the ‘23’ on his jersey or at his
newly shaven head.

Or watch him when he puts on his pre-game dunking clinic, and
you’ll truly see how the NBA legend has influenced him.

And make sure to look out below.

It keeps going...‘I’ve kept on doing it since
then’

What do you get when you combine a vertical leap of more than 40
inches with a 6-foot-9 forward?

Some one-sided high-school games with a lot of dunks.

Petway led his Griffin High School team to a 28-3 record his
senior season and finished third in the voting for Georgia’s
Mr. Basketball.

During his high-school years, Petway routinely dunked multiple
times during each game. His all-time high for dunks in a game was
eight.

Petway also completed his most memorable dunk during these
years, when he threw the ball off the backboard to himself and
stuffed it during a game.

“I stole it, dribbled down, and it was like a two-on-two.
My teammate was in the corner, and there were two
defensemen,” Petway recalled. “I just dribbled (between
them), and I don’t know what made me do it, but I threw it
off the glass and went and got it.”

Petway’s dunking began even before his high school
years.

The first time he ever threw one down was when he was a 14-year
old in eighth grade.

“I had been trying all year, so after basketball season
was over, I started track with the high jump,” Petway said.
“I guess that helped me get a few more inches on my vertical.
I went in the gym one day after track practice and I was able to
dunk, and I’ve kept on doing it since then.”

Petway also was a track runner in high school, competing in the
100-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay, in which he
ran the anchor leg. He finished second at the Georgia state
championship meet running the hurdles.

“When I would go out for the 100 meters, people would look
at me like, ‘Hold on, you’re 6-9. You’re not
supposed to be running the 100 meters.’ ”

... and going ... Air Georgia lands in Ann Arbor

Since he’s been at Michigan, Petway’s had more
trouble keeping his head from hitting the rim than he’s had
finding ways to get free for dunks.

“I always duck, every time,” Petway said.
“I’ve hit my head on the backboard before, blocking a
shot, but I always duck, ’cause I (can sense) before
I’m gonna bang my head.”

Through 25 games, 25 of Petway’s 39 career field goals
have come in the form of dunks.

All of his Michigan teammates already know about Petway’s
amazing leaping ability, something that fans and opposing teams
have been exposed to in flashes this season. In practices,
teammates try to throw alley-oops over the freshman’s head,
just to see how high he can get. But to their amazement, he has
caught most of the passes and converted the alley-oops.

Teammates often ask Petway if he can imitate what they see
others do on television.

“They’ll see me dunk, then they’ll watch
SportsCenter later that night, and they’ll be like,
‘You think you can do that?’ ” Petway said.
“And I’ll be like ‘Yeah,’ and I’ll
try.”

And with his great leaping ability, Petway has received some
great nicknames. Fellow Wolverine and team co-captain J.C. Mathis
calls Petway ‘R.J.,’ acknowledging the similarities he
sees between his teammate’s play and that of Richard
Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets. Jefferson is one of the
NBA’s most recognized high flyers.

Most recently, the Maize Rage has dubbed the freshman ‘Air
Georgia.’

Michigan coach Tommy Amaker is another Petway supporter. Amaker
has never discouraged Petway from pumping up the crowd with his
dunking ability, especially on open slams.