Josh Petersen appreciates the journey that brought him from a manager at Florida State to an assistant coach at Kentucky. (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky women’s basketball assistant coach Josh Petersen got his start in college basketball as the head manager from 2008-2012 at Florida State before becoming a graduate assistant for two years. However, Florida State went to five NCAA Tournaments in his six years. His wife was an equipment manager at Florida State.
After that he became an assistant coach at UNC Asheville for four seasons and got to the NCAA Tournament twice. After that he went to Pittsburgh for four years as an assistant coach. Before coming to UK he spent two seasons at Miami and Miami reached its first Elite Eight.
“I have had a little unorthodox path but I have always been surrounded by incredible people and coaches,” he said. “I thought I was going to be an accountant. Then I learned that was not my forte. I have an accounting degree but I wanted to coach.
“I started out washing towels or just rebounding for players. I was a graduate assistant working on my Masters but I believed I had the potential to coach. I grew up in west Texas playing a lot of sports but I was never great at any one sport. But I was a sports junkie.”
Petersen is grateful for the learning opportunities he’s had and appreciative of being part of Kenny Brooks’ staff at Kentucky.
“There’s no replacing gratitude. Every day I think to myself to be at a place like the University of Kentucky that the basketball gods were born here and I feel like I have to pinch myself daily knowing I am at UK and working for coach Brooks,” Petersen said. “My journey was not the traditional way but I am thankful to be where I am now.”
