AUBURN, Ala. – Shooting guard Kevin Overton caught fire in the second half of last season and looks to carry that momentum into his senior year for the Auburn men’s basketball team.
Overton was named the NIT Most Outstanding Player and finished the year averaging 14.1 ppg while make 95 3-pointers, the seventh most single season triples in program history.
Despite his individual success, Overton is focused on the team goals this season as an undoubted leader on the 2026-27 roster.
Q&A With Kevin Overton:
Q: How is summer practice going and what are your first impressions of the new team?
A: We are very connected. We have a lot of really good basketball players and we complement each other well. There is a connectedness that will take us far this year. I really like this team.
Q: Where have you grown the most as a leader on this team?
A: I’m just trying to be steady. I want to be a leader and not make it about myself. My approach needs to stay the same each day about what really matters and not making it about anything else. It’s not just about misses and makes. Just trying to stay connected with the team and lean into the things that make us better six months from now.
Q: What made it the right decision for you to come back this season?
A: The coaching staff and the people who believed in me. I don’t feel like I was at my best last season. I wanted to be able to lead a team in a comfortable situation. I also understood what we had coming back and I think me and Tahaad Pettiford can get done what any backcourt in the country can get done. There is a comfort of having him. But it’s all the staff for sure.
Q: What has been your main focus on improving your game this year?
A: I know I need to be better from two. With those 7-footers we have, they are giving me a different look in terms of my comfort under the free throw line and around that second and third dribble inside the arc. Also trying to be as steady as I can. Keeping the flow of the offense and not being a ball-stopper. I think last year I stopped the ball a few times because I knew I had to create, but this year it is more keeping the flow because we have so many guys that can create an advantage.
Q: What are you most looking forward to this year?
A: For more personally I want to get back to that Elite 8 game. We have a lot of guys that deserve to go that far, including myself. I think the Elite 8 game is my goal and then from there it is on us to accept those moments. At that point, if we can be the most disciplined team, I like our chances.