Sept. 30, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn forward Danjel Purifoy didn't know what to make of 5-foot-10 guard Jared Harper in the beginning.
"When I first heard of Jared I was like, 'He's not all that because he's so small.' When I had to guard him, it was a different story," Purifoy said. "He's real quick off the ball and getting to the goal. He's an unbelievable player."
Harper and the 6-foot-7 Purifoy are among the new wave of active Auburn basketball players who hit the floor for the first official practice Friday. The Tigers' roster features six prominent newcomers that includes four freshmen, two graduate transfers and Purifoy, who sat out last season.
Harper, from Mableton, Ga., will press for playing time.
"I said a long time ago," coach Bruce Pearl said to the media, "'You guys are going to want to buy tickets to watch him play.'"
Pearl said there's plenty to like up and down the roster, including the newcomers.
"I think they are all going to have an impact," Pearl said. "The best thing about themÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬¦they have picked up on things pretty quickly, and that's important, especially the point guards in picking up what we're trying to do. The best part of our team right now is we have 10 or 11 guys who can play, and we will play 10 or 11 guys."
There's more than just newcomers, though. The Tigers return 41.2 percent of their scoring, most of that coming from returning starters T.J. Dunans, TJ Lang, Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer.
The newcomers figure to fit in quickly. And Purifoy said Harper is "probably the No. 1 shooter throughout the freshmen."
But a better shooter than Purifoy?
"I wouldn't say that," he said with a smile.
Purifoy conceded that Harper and Bryce Brown are the two best shooters on a team that promises to be more athletic than most Auburn teams over the last bunch of years.
"We're a little more athletic, we are a little longer, we are quicker, but if we don't use it to our advantage there is no use in having it," Pearl said. "Our centers weigh 215 pounds each. There's not a center in the SEC that weighs less than 230, 240. So we're light in the bucket in the five-spot, so we better use our length, and speed and our athleticism."
The Tigers will scrimmage at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Auburn Arena. The Tigers are working toward an exhibition game against Montevallo on Nov. 4 before opening the regular season against North Florida on Nov. 11.
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine
'That man right there!'
Bruce Pearl salutes former Auburn coach Sonny Smith on the first day of basketball practice. Video. pic.twitter.com/2u2o9awOT5- Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) September 30, 2016