AUBURN, Ala. – With scouts from a majority of NBA franchises taking notes, Auburn held Pro Day Wednesday at Neville Arena.
“It was good for our guys to get out there and compete,” said head coach Steven Pearl of the scrimmage-heavy workout.
Bruce Pearl’s decision to step away from coaching last week opened a 30-day window for Auburn’s student-athletes to transfer, an option Steven Pearl says none will exercise.
“We want guys who want to be here,” he said. “We want guys who want to continue to keep this thing moving in the right direction. Both Tahaad (Pettiford) and Keyshawn Hall told the team today that they were planning on coming back and being at Auburn this year, not entering the transfer portal and wanted to stick it out with this group this year.
“Really good news for the program today is that we’re going to be able to keep this group together for this upcoming season and all the guys we had in the summer are going to be putting on an Auburn jersey this year.”
Steven Pearl recapped the events of the whirlwind week since his introduction last Wednesday.
“We were going to do everything we could to make sure they were in the best possible positions for themselves and their families,” he said. “Having very positive, detailed conversations about what our vision is for those players and what our vision is for the future of Auburn basketball.
“Incredibly grateful to all of them for being so understanding of not just BP’s situation but the situation that this staff is in right now. They’ve put a lot of trust into this staff and this university to finish the job that we talked about in the recruiting process. Our guys have been incredibly resilient, they’ve responded and they’ve done a great job of handling some adversity.”
Pearl shared his observations from the first week and a half of preseason practice.
“When we run our offense and execute at a high level, we’ve got a chance to do some things on the offensive end,” he said. “The biggest glare for me is defensively. We’ve got a lot of progress we have to make. We’re not as physical or as big as we were a year ago.”
Keyshawn Hall, the Big 12’s leading scorer last season at Central Florida, provides flexibility at 6-foot-7 with his ability to play forward or guard.
“He wanted to prove to the country that he’s a winner, and he’s not just a talented scorer,” Pearl said. “One of the things he talked about in the recruiting process was, ‘I’m going to Auburn because I want to be a better defender.’ He knows that’s an important piece to finish his game and get him into a position to play at the next level.”
Freshman point guard Kaden Magwood showed out for the pro scouts, making 5 of 6 shots and distributing four assists with only one turnover.
“In an environment with NBA scouts, being able to be composed, make shots and not turn the ball over was a very positive thing,” Pearl said. “For this to be a practice where there are NBA scouts gives me confidence that the moment may not be too big for him.”
The Tigers have two weeks to prepare for their first preseason game Oct. 15 vs. Oklahoma State at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer