Bolingbrook freshman Brady Pettigrew showing he belongs

Playing on the varsity level as an underclassman is never easy.

Bolingbrook freshman Brady Pettigrew is starting to make it look that way, however.

Asked to step into the starting lineup of what was projected to be one of the top boys basketball teams in the state, Pettigrew has become a key figure in the Raiders' lineup.

He demonstrated his skills at the 50th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School, earning all-tournament honors along with helping lead Bolingbrook to the tournament championship at the 32-team event.

He averaged 7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and joined teammates Davion Thompson, the tournament MVP, and JT Pettigrew, his 6-foot-7 older brother and Valparaiso recruit, on the all-tourney team.

His overall athleticism and offensive skill set make him stand out, even on a team with players like his brother and Thompson on the floor. But, if you are going to play for Bolingbrook, you are going to have to play defense.

“When I came into high school, I was pretty much a scorer,” Pettigrew said. “The coaches challenged me to grow as a defender as soon as I got here.

“I’m lucky to play with a group of players like we have. We work hard on our defense.”

The Raiders forced 63 turnovers in their five games at the Tosh, with Brady Pettigrew as a key cog in that defense. He used both his 6-4 frame and uncanny quickness to disrupt many an opponent’s attempts at driving to the basket or to move into a passing lane and deflect a pass. That ability came into play more and more as the games got tighter in the last couple of rounds.

“We like to play in games like this,” he said after a 54-48 decision over Fenwick in the championship game. “Some of our best moments come when the games start to get tight.

“We want to prove to people that we can come out and play with anybody.”

Brady Pettigrew comes by that competitive nature naturally, as he has grown up with JT and played with Thompson as well as Trey Brost and others on the Raiders team in travel and AAU ball.

“I love playing with my brother,” Brady Pettigrew said. “We just know each other so well when we’re on the court. We play a lot of 1-on-1 in the driveway at home and we like to say that it’s not a real game until one of us gets hurt. We both love to compete, whether it’s against each other or with each other.”

On a team that doesn’t have the options such as JT Pettigrew or Thompson, a sensational sophomore who is garnering all kinds of Division I looks already, Brady Pettigrew might easily score 20 points a game. He has the outside shooting touch to be a consistent 3-point threat, and he has the ball-handling skills, quickness and explosive leaping ability to take the ball to the basket and finish.

Much to the delight of his coach, though, he has learned that all he has to do is what is asked of him.

“We want all of our guys to be as complete as possible,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “Not only on the basketball court, but more importantly, as people and human beings.

“I am proud of Brady for the way he has come in here as a freshman and fit in. He keeps getting better and better. There are a lot of expectations on this team and some people from the outside don’t quite get it, but these guys know and understand what we are trying to do.”