AUBURN, Ala. – The defending SEC champs returned to the court Tuesday for the first official practice of the 2018-19 season. But don't remind them of that championship. They received their rings this past Saturday prior to the Arkansas game, and now it's time to move on. This is a new season and a new Auburn team. There's no looking back.
"There's a reason why we had a ring ceremony at the football game in September," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "When you come back to Auburn Arena, there will be a banner hanging up there. But we won't be raising it. It'll be there. We've moved past that. I wanted it done before the start of the season."
That's because this year's Auburn team still has unfinished business. It's been the theme all offseason and the source of motivation for the players.
There's unfinished business after how last season ended. Sure, the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003, but that loss to Clemson in the second round still stings. It wasn't supposed to end that way.
"We've all been working really hard this offseason starting after we lost to Clemson," junior point guard Jared Harper said. "We celebrated how well we did last season, winning the SEC championship, but we also focused on working hard in the offseason because it'll be hard to accomplish those same goals this upcoming year. We've just been working hard."
There's unfinished business for players like Austin Wiley, Danjel Purifoy and Samir Doughty who sat out last season. All three are hungry and eager to get back on the court.
And the chip that was on everybody's shoulder last season? It hasn't gone away.
Unlike last year, Auburn is being picked as a top-10 or top-15 team nationally by most publications this preseason. The Tigers have six players returning from the team that won the conference title last year, including the backcourt duo of Harper and Bryce Brown who were both named All-SEC. They add the three players who sat out, one of which could have left for the NBA, as well as junior college point guard J'Von McCormick.
These are uncharted waters for a program that is used to being picked toward the bottom of the SEC. But regardless how deep and talented this Auburn team is, the attitude hasn't changed.
"I know where they're going to pick us," Pearl said. "I know what the preseason magazines are going to say. And I love it for Auburn basketball. I used to spend my whole career fighting to get on the cover of Street and Smith's or have Blue Ribbon Basketball pick us any place but the bottom. I think that's all great. It helps in recruiting. It excites our fans. I'm not running from that at all. I'm retweeting that. I'm sending that out there. Read about it.
"But that's absolutely not the way our team feels."
This Auburn team wants to accomplish what last year's team did but then take it a step further. They celebrated that SEC championship. Now it's about what's next.
"I feel like we're going to have those same targets (as last year)," Harper said. "We're still going to want to be good this year and win the conference. But our main goal this year is to have a chance to go to the Final Four and eventually win the national championship."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
