AUBURN, Ala. – J'Von McCormick has always dreamed of playing on the biggest stage. In high school, he went head-to-head against players like De'Aaron Fox and Carsen Edwards. Fox is just starting his second year in the NBA, and Edwards was a preseason first-team All-American at Purdue.
However, those opportunities never came for McCormick. The 6-foot, 175-point guard had a couple scholarship offers out of high school, including Utah, but he had to go the junior-college route instead. At this time last year, he was preparing to play his second season at Lee College and still searching for his chance at the next level.
"I have a big chip on my shoulder from just not being looked at as I should coming out of high school," McCormick said. "I feel like people overlooked me."
That all changed last year when McCormick averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game at the junior-college level. Teams began to show interest.
One of those teams was Auburn. At first glance, it might have looked like a tough sell. The Tigers had two All-SEC guards returning in Jared Harper and Bryce Brown, which meant playing time would likely be limited for any guard who joined the program. But that didn't matter to McCormick. This was his break, his opportunity to play on the biggest stage for a team with championship aspirations.
"It didn't bother J'Von," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "J'Von knew what we had. He wanted to compete against them. He wanted to be in position if one of them got injured. And he wanted to play next to both of them. He wasn't afraid to contribute."
Remember, McCormick is a guy who has had a chip on his shoulder throughout most of his life. If that sounds familiar to Auburn fans, it should. Because it's no different than any other player on this year's team. In fact, that was one of the primary reasons McCormick was drawn to Auburn in the first place. He knows that mentality that embodied last year's team. It's the same mentality that embodies this year's team.
"I felt like my whole life I've been the underdog," McCormick said. "I feel like Auburn was the underdog, and even though last year they won the championship, they still have a big chip on their shoulder. We're just excited for this season."
Through the first seven games, the Tigers are 6-1 with wins over Washington, Xavier and Arizona. The lone loss came in the Maui Invitational against Duke, the No. 1 team in the nation at the time. As of this week, Auburn is ranked No. 8 in the AP poll.
As for McCormick, he's been as advertised this season giving the Tigers another point guard option who can score, distribute and defend.
"I'm a pass-first player," he said. "Score when I need to. And defend."
"Number one, he's a great defender," added Harper. "He's great at play-making and just getting people open to get people shots, and that's going to go a far way. He came in a little bit later, but he's picked up on everything fast. He's done a good job."
More than anything, McCormick provides much-needed depth and allows Pearl to play his style of basketball. Auburn has plenty of talent with three starters back from last year's team that won the SEC plus the additions of Austin Wiley, Samir Doughty and Danjel Purifoy. But if the Tigers want to make a run this year, it's going to take everybody – McCormick included.
"We've always preached the depth of our team," Harper said. "Our nine or 10 guys are better than any nine or 10 guys in the country, so we like to use that to our advantage."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
