Education
Pettinella graduated in 2003 from McQuaid Jesuit High School. He earned New York All-State selections for basketball in both his junior and senior year. During his senior season Pettinella led McQuaid Jesuit to the New York Class A State Championship, a 27-1 record, and a third ranking nationally in the USAToday poll.
Upon graduation, Pettinella enrolled at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania where he played two years for head coach Fran Dunphy before transferring to the University of Virginia.
At Penn he helped lead the Quakers to an Ivy League Championship in 2005.
The following year Pettinella transferred to Virginia where he played his final two seasons with the Cavaliers. In 2007 the Cavaliers won the Administrative Committee on Company-ordination Regular Season Championship.
Pettinella achieved a degree in political science and foreign affairs