AUBURN, Ala. – While talking to Auburn's basketball team about the program's culture, Bruce Pearl looked up and noticed four visitors to Monday's practice, former players Chuma Okeke, Jared Harper, Bryce Brown and Malik Dunbar.
"They walked in and I was in the middle of talking to our guys about how proud I was that almost the entire team showed up to a voluntary community service day," Pearl said. "That's the culture, that's the work ethic. That foundation was laid by these guys and the rest of us have adopted it."
Harper, Brown and Dunbar had just returned from playing in the NBA Summer League. Okeke continues to rehabilitate from April knee surgery.
"This is always going to be home for them," Pearl said. "This is always going to be part of their family. It just so happened that all four of them are back now because they just got done with the Summer League and are getting ready to move on to the next thing.
"It was exciting to follow their individual progress, and it will be over the next several years. We've created more NBA fans here in Auburn than we have in a long time."
Four months earlier, the four former Tigers helped lead Auburn to the SEC Tournament championship and the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Jared Harper, Bryce Brown and Malik Dunbar returned to Auburn Arena after playing in the NBA Summer League
"To be back on the outside looking in and see how they're preparing, it's definitely a weird feeling," said Harper, who signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns after averaging 10 points in Summer League play. "But it's also a good feeling to know that I'm closer to all the goals that I've ever wanted and part of the reason why I came here to Auburn."
Pearl asked each of the former Tigers to share their Summer League experience, and in Okeke's case, what he's been learning in his video study with the Orlando Magic, which drafted him No. 16 overall in June.
Before the Tigers' resumed practice, Pearl had one more question, asking Harper why Jared chose to attend Auburn.
"To make history," came the reply.
Pearl took it from there, using the reasons behind last season's success to inspire next year's team.
"There's going to be a wall in the locker room that says, 'Make history,'" Pearl said to the group that included the 2019-20 Tigers and their former teammates. "It's not going to be the years, it's not going to be the names, it's not going to be the coach. He came here to make history. Y'all made history. Our job is to keep making history.
"The road to the Final Four was always about you, and the way you played, the way you honored the game.
"We've always said that when we as a team are successful, you as an individual will benefit far more than if you as an individual are successful and the team fails.
The Orlando Magic drafted Chuma Okeke with the No. 16 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft
"Was it ever more evident than this season?" Pearl asked, gesturing first to Okeke, then to Danjel Purifoy, who scored 12 points in the North Carolina game in which Okeke was injured, then played 32 minutes and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to help the Tigers beat Kentucky in the Midwest Regional final.
"He (Okeke) goes down, he (Purifoy) comes in, and we don't miss a beat," Pearl said. "Because he stayed right, and he stayed ready. Coming off the bench, he stayed right, and he stayed ready all year long. That takes a special dude.
"Tell me if we didn't all appreciate Danjel hanging in there. How about Austin (Wiley), staying right and staying ready," Pearl continued, his enthusiasm at pregame speech level. "Ready to dominate! It's time. You mean to tell me we aren't going to do everything to help him get there?"
Dunbar, who played for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League, enjoyed the opportunity to pass along tips to his former teammates.
"It's a good thing, because I can give the guys a head start because I've been in the door a little bit," he said. "I can tell them what to expect, the things they should do. Things to take advantage of while they're here. It's great to be in a position to be able to help somebody, trying to be a blessing to somebody else."
Bruce Pearl with Bryce Brown, who played for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League
With four soon-to-be professional players serving as illustrations, Pearl completed his point about sacrificing individual stats for the team's benefit.
"We were respectful to the fact that this was your last year, and we wanted to win as a team, but it didn't mean give you more shots or more of a role," he said, before going over offensive plays.
"Those guys didn't focus on that. It's going to be about winning. It's going to be about playing hard and playing together, and making each other better. That's what it's always been about. As long as we keep that culture that these guys established, we're going to be okay."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer