'He's a star' - Inside presence Anfernee McLemore adds outside shot

'He's a star' - Inside presence Anfernee McLemore adds outside shot'He's a star' - Inside presence Anfernee McLemore adds outside shot

Feb. 7, 2017

By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. - Anfernee McLemore methodically works his way around the half-circle, launching jump shots at the basket, 20 feet, 9 inches away.

Most hit their target.

If you arrive an hour early to Auburn Arena for Tuesday's 8 p.m. game against Mississippi State, you'll see McLemore's marksmanship.

His shot selection during games is a different story. The freshman from Worth County High School in south Georgia has attempted only one 3-pointer this season. Not surprisingly, McLemore made it.

"I'm just getting more comfortable with it now," said the 6-foot-7 McLemore, who is listed as a forward but shares the five, or center, position with fellow freshman Austin Wiley.

"I work on it a lot," McLemore said. "And whenever Coach Pearl calls my name, that's when I'll unveil it."

For now, McLemore does most of his work closer to the basket. His 71% shooting percentage (45-for-63) is second best in the SEC behind Kentucky's Tai Wynyard's 81%.

In future seasons, McLemore's outside shooting could become an effective weapon for Auburn. Many a big man in the NBA makes a career out of such "pick and pop" skills.

This season, rebounding represents McLemore's greatest contribution. Auburn's leading rebounder in the past two games, he's grabbed 19 boards in 38 minutes, an average of one rebound per two minutes.

"Anfernee McLemore has been our best defensive rebounder," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "He's been our best traffic rebounder. What a great dimension that he brings to our team. He's such a great teammate. He just wants to win. Do so many little things out there to win.

"He's a confident player, yet he's got a chip on his shoulder because not everybody saw what we saw. He was not a star on the AAU circuit. All of those kids he's playing against right now, they were all stars on the AAU circuit, and Anfernee played a role on his team. He played on a good team, the Atlanta Celtics, but he wasn't a star. In many ways, he's a star on our team."

Auburn (15-8, 4-6) looks to overcome its recent Tuesday troubles against the Bulldogs (14-8, 5-5). In the past two weeks, Tuesday losses at South Carolina and home to Tennessee negated momentum gained by weekend wins over Alabama at home and at TCU.

"Every one of these is gold," Pearl said. "Every one of these wins is really crucial. We're excited about the opportunity and to see if we can't take advantage of once again putting ourselves in position."

After completing the season sweep of Alabama, the Tigers are now ranked No. 63 in RPI.

"Somehow, we've put ourselves at or near the bubble again," Pearl said. "We're going to have to try to stay on it a little bit longer than the last couple times we've gotten to these Tuesdays."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer