AUBURN, Ala. – When LaPhonso Ellis witnessed the Jungle at Auburn Arena in his first season with ESPN's College GameDay crew in 2020, it made a lasting impression.
"When I saw we were going to be coming back to Auburn, because it was one my favorites my first year here, I was excited to be able to come back down and experience it again," said Ellis, an 11-year NBA veteran and the No. 5 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.
"It's fun to see so many people show up outside for a basketball game, not to mention all of those who show out for College GameDay," he said. "The intentionality from the head of the athletics department on down to Bruce Pearl and the buy-in from the community and the fans here make this a very special place."
At Notre Dame 30 years ago, Ellis led his team in blocked shots four consecutive seasons, setting the program record with 200 career blocks, giving him a unique appreciation for sophomore Walker Kessler, who treated the national television audience to a triple-double with a career-high 12 blocks, 12 points and 11 rebounds in Auburn's 75-58 win vs. Texas A&M.
"Bruce Pearl, as he does, always finds a way to take a talented player and integrate him into the system that not only benefits the players but of course benefits the team as well, and he's done it yet again with Walker Kessler," Ellis said.Walker Kessler treated ESPN's audience to a triple-double, including a career-high 12 blocked shots
Auburn freshman Jabari Smith, who scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds Saturday and leads the Tigers in scoring averaging 15.2 points per game, earned a rave review from Ellis.
"He's literally unguardable in our game," Ellis said. "I refer to him as the best jump shooting big in the country."
Before the ESPN College GameDay broadcast, analyst Seth Greenberg, a two-time ACC coach of the year who coached 35 seasons of college basketball, gathered insight from his former broadcasting colleague, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl.
"I think he loves his team," Greenberg said. "Why wouldn't he love his team? They are in his personality. Wherever he's coached, his teams have a little edge to them. They have tough, physical guards who make plays, attack and play downhill.
"This team is a reflection of what he wants his teams to look like. The frontcourt might be the best in the country, but those guards bring a little bit of that junkyard dog mentality. Bruce comes at you in waves. That's the unique thing about this team. They're in a position to compete for a national championship."
"You know the energy and the charisma he's going to bring," Ellis said. "You know what he's going to demand from his players. You expect a toughness and a grittiness on defense, and you expect some organization and some freedom on the offensive end.
"They have a toughness and a resilience about them. Those two words resonate with me as being characteristic of Bruce Pearl."'Absolutely huge': ESPN analysts credit the Jungle for Auburn's home-court advantage
Auburn's student section, says Greenberg, deserves credit for helping the Tigers go undefeated at home so far this season.
"It's absolutely huge," he said. "When the students are basically sitting on the court, it creates a more intimate atmosphere. You're almost surrounded.
"If you're good, this university is going to support you, the students and alumni are going to support you. There's a passion, energy and ownership."
"Bruce probably does as good of a job as any in the country at being inclusive and putting his arms around all those groups, whether it's community, alumni or students. They all feel part of it, he's in it with them. He does a phenomenal job of getting people excited, and his team plays off that energy."
With six games left until the SEC and NCAA tournaments, ESPN's announcers won't be surprised to see the Tigers make headlines in March, a result of Pearl's investment in Auburn, and Auburn's investment in Pearl.
"You have to have buy-in from your athletic director," Ellis said. They've been able to give him the necessary resources to build a national profile program. He brings all the ingredients with it, the charisma, the ability to recruit, the ability to connect with local and national Auburn fans. Because of who he is, he gets some people on the fringe to be interested in Auburn basketball because of how passionate he is about Auburn University, and particularly Auburn basketball."ESPN"s LaPhonso Ellis (left) and Seth Greenberg returned to Auburn with College GameDay
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
