AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn conducted its first practice of the new season this week, marking its first official return to the court since March. Unlike last year when the Tigers had a number of seniors returning, this year's team is chock-full of youth. It's a talented group, but one lacking experience.
"This is the youngest team I've had since I've been a Division I basketball coach," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "The kids have been training really hard. I really like my team. I really like the effort. I like the competition. I like the work ethic. We have got a lot to learn."
Juniors Jamal Johnson and Javon Franklin are the elder statesmen of this year's team. The other 10 players on scholarship consist of five sophomores and five freshmen.
The only returning player to start a game for Auburn is sophomore Allen Flanigan who started three games last year in place of Isaac Okoro. The other 11 players have yet to make a start, and the five freshmen have yet to play a game for the Tigers. That means an entirely new starting lineup this year.
Most years, Pearl and his staff have an idea who the starting five will be by this time. Not this year.
"That could be good news or bad news," Pearl said. "The good news is we have got a lot of parity. The good news is we've got good competition. The bad news is that we might not have anybody as good as we had last year in those top five or six. I don't know that, but I can tell you the competition is much closer. I do think the good news is we won't drop off a lot when we go to the bench. This is a team that I will definitely play nine or 10 bodies."
The next month of practice will go a long way in determining who makes the starting lineup and how the coaches set the rotation, at least initially, but opportunity abounds for everybody on the team. And with opportunity comes a willingness to work, a drive to earn your spot.
Auburn has yet to finalize its schedule, but the college basketball season tips off Nov. 25.
Here are more highlights from Pearl's preseason press conference Thursday.
On player-led leadership…
"Player leadership is everything, especially when it comes to winning championships. Coaches can lead and win games, but they can't lead a locker room to be a great team. That has to come from within. The leadership is a challenge because the most experienced returning players are Jaylin Williams, Devan Cambridge and Allen Flanigan. Those guys did not get a ton of reps last year. They've all got strong personalities and the ability to lead, but they don't have a lot of experience. Tyrell Jones and Stretch (Babatunde Akingbola) also have leadership ability. Then you've got some talented freshmen that are going to be out there. So I think it's going to be something that's going to have to evolve, but not to any fault of their own."
On Jamal Johnson's offseason progression…
"Jamal has probably improved as much as anybody from last year to this year. He's worked really hard. His athleticism, his speed, his quickness, his ability to stay in front of you -- I think he worked a lot with his dad on his defensive slides and some of his mobility. He continues to demonstrate that if he can see it then he's got a real good chance to make it. His in-between game has gotten better. He does little things off the ball. So I appreciate you bringing his name up on the heels of leadership because I would say that Jamal does have a chance to be one of our leaders. But I think it's so early that I don't comment much on it because I just have to let it play out, I have to let it evolve and let those guys step up."
On what he has seen out of freshman Sharife Cooper…
"He is a guy that has worked really hard in the gym, in the weight room, working on his game. I think at first when he came in, he was deferring a bit trying to get everybody involved. Then, over a period of time as he began to understand the offense, he realized that for his team to win he needed to be more aggressive offensively. He is a scoring point guard. I will often times compare him to Jared because you guys remember Jared. He is ahead of Jared as a freshman, but he is not Jared Harper yet because we remember Jared as a junior."
On who he feels the most confident in shooting 3s…
"I think we've got a bunch of guys who can shoot it, I really do. In fact, we have more guys that can shoot it than can't. I have 12 guys on scholarship. Obviously, my 5-men, Dylan [Cardwell] and Babatunde [Akingbola] would be the least experienced spacing and shooting and yet we're working to add that to their game. They will both be shooting big men at some point. I don't know if it'll be this year, but it's absolutely going to be in their repertoire at some point in their career. Right now, it's good because you have to guard at least four on the perimeter when they're out there and sometimes you might have to guard five. It sure would be beneficial to the way the game is being played and officiated if I can put five guys on the floor that I'm willing to let take that shot."
On the impact of Pat Dye on Auburn Athletics…
"Auburn lost a part of its soul when we lost Coach Dye. I don't know how many men have the opportunity to be synonymous with an athletic program in so many ways as Coach Dye. If it was good for Auburn, it was good for Auburn. That's all he cared about. He loved Auburn, and he was great for Auburn. I don't think you can even begin to measure the loss on our coaches, on our fan base, on our administration, on our university leadership, on our board of trustees. One of my personal, professional accomplishments was getting to know Coach Dye, and in some small way, earning his respect. I will rank that right up there as one of my greatest accomplishments. He was a coach's coach, he was a man's man, and I miss him."
