Tag: bruce pearl

Bruce Pearl to face former team in Auburn’s exhibition game

It’s come full circle for Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

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It’s come full circle for Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

Pearl & Co. will be throwing down on the hardwood on November 5th against Southern Indiana, Pearl’s first stop as a head coach. The Screaming Eagles will be playing the Auburn for the first time in the history of its program, SIU announced on Wednesday morning.

Auburn enters the season with quite a lot of fanfare after a rather disappointing 2020-21 season. New additions through the transfer portal have bolstered an already talented Auburn squad. Walker Kessler, KD Johnson, Wendell Green, and Zep Jasper should all play pivotal roles for the Tigers this upcoming season.

Expect the exhibition game against the Screaming Eagles to be watched with great interest by fans as Auburn’s chemistry as a team may take time to develop.

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War Ready gets blown out in opening round of TBT against ETSU alumni

The group of former Auburn alumni had a rough go in the TBT on Sunday.

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

War Ready, a team full of Auburn alumni, lost 50-77 on Sunday afternoon against the Bucketeers, a group of ETSU alumni.

War Ready shot a poor 30% from the field, as well as 18% from deep. Laron Smith led the team with 12 points. Tray Boyd made five of the Bucketeers 13 shots from deep. Boyd finished with 21 points.

Bryce Brown, arguably War Ready’s best shooter, was not available for Sunday’s game. Neither was Desean Murray.

This was War Ready’s second year in the TBT. They lost in humiliating fashion in last year’s opening round to House of Paign 53-76. They are now a collective 0-2 in the TBT.

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Contact/Follow us @theauburnwire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. 

Auburn basketball offers Florida forward

Auburn basketball is showing interest in an Orlando power forward.

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Bruce Pearl has offered three-star power forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward from Orlando, Florida tweeted out Tuesday night that he has been offered a scholarship to play for the Auburn Tigers.

The Orlando Christian Prep standout has attracted interest from several SEC schools including, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Georgia. Now the Tigers have entered the mix.

Lubin is rated as the 22nd best player in the state of Florida per 247Sports and the 27th best power forward in the 2022 class.

Pearl and the Tigers have not received any commitments for the class of 2022 yet.

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Contact/Follow us @theauburnwire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. 

Sharife Cooper goes at number 28 in latest mock draft

Sharife Cooper gets selected with the 28th pick in the latest NBA Mock Draft.

Sharife Cooper will look to be Auburn’s latest first-round pick after this month’s NBA Draft.

In USA Today’s latest NBA Mock Draft (Subscription required),  the former Auburn point guard was projected to go to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-1 and 180-pound freshman would provide an instant spark to their offense and could come off of the bench to provide depth at the point guard position behind Ben Simmons.

John Reed of USA Today Sports gave the following positive words in explaining his pick at 28th overall.

“Cooper’s numbers speak volumes, averaging 20.2 points and 8.1 assists per game with the Tigers. He’s a multi-dimensional passer and can create for himself, while making open shots. That’s a recipe to boost just about any playoff team. His size will get knocked, but so did Fred VanVleet’s stature.”
At Auburn, Cooper averaged 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. He shot 39.1 percent from the field.

Auburn basketball schedules game with Big Ten opponent

Auburn faces this Big Ten opponent for the first time in history on the hardwood.

Auburn basketball will return to Atlanta for Holiday Hoopsgiving in 2021 and will play an opponent from the Big Ten.

On Thursday, the Tigers announced that they will be taking on Nebraska in the Peach State’s capital a year after playing Memphis in the same event.

The game is part of a quadruple-header on Dec. 11 and also features Georgia Tech vs. LSU, Ole Miss vs. Western Kentucky and Clemson vs. an opponent that has yet to be announced.

This will be the first ever meeting between the Tigers and Cornhuskers.

Auburn basketball lands in top half of The Athletic’s early SEC power rankings

Auburn basketball comes in the middle of the pack of The Athletic’s early SEC power rankings for the 2021-22 season.

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After a down year that saw star players have both eligibility issues and injuries, Auburn is expected to be back as a major SEC title and NCAA Tournament contender in 2021-22.

While the squad will look brand new due to departures, both incoming and outgoing transfers and the arrival of the highest-rated signee in program history, the Tigers are bound to be both talented and deep with a lot of skill players coming off the bench.

The Athletic released its early SEC power rankings for next season and has Auburn in the sixth place.

Here’s what the publication has to say:

Bruce Pearl really had it rolling: SEC title in 2018, Final Four in 2019, unprecedented third straight 25-win season in 2020. Then came COVID and all the weird stuff last season brought with it, and the Tigers fell off a cliff. Five-star freshman Sharife Cooper only played a dozen (albeit dazzling) games and rookie sharpshooter Justin Powell only got in 10 before a concussion shut him down for good. Auburn was never really whole or clicked, and went 13-14 and finished 10th in the league. But there’s a very good chance that was an anomaly. Even losing Cooper and JT Thor to the NBA Draft, Powell to Tennessee and part-time starter Jamal Johnson to UAB, the Tigers look well-equipped to challenge the best teams in the SEC again.

Three starters returned: Flanigan (14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Cambridge (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Williams (10.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg). Two five-star big men were added: McDonald’s All-American Jabari Smith, who is top-five in the Class of 2021 and the highest-rated recruit to pick Auburn in the history of 247Sports, and 7-foot-1 North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler. Three backcourt transfers round it out: Green, an All-OVC point guard who averaged 15.8 points and 5.0 assists at Eastern Kentucky; Jasper, an All-CAA shooting guard who averaged 15.6 points and made 37 percent of his career 3-pointers at College of Charleston; and K.D. Johnson, a former top-100 recruit who averaged 13.5 points and made 39 percent of his 3s as a freshman at Georgia. That’s more than enough for a Pearl-coached team with a normal offseason and typical schedule to get back on track.

Here’s how the rest of the SEC rankings go down:

1. Kentucky

2. Tennessee

3. Arkansas

4. Mississippi State

5. Alabama

6. Auburn

7. LSU

8. Ole Miss

9. Florida

10. Texas A&M

11. Missouri

12. South Carolina

13. Georgia

14. Vanderbilt

Auburn, Bruce Pearl watching NBA to learn how to use size on court

Bruce Pearl has the tallest roster since arriving at Auburn and is learning how to use all of that size by watching the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the first time since Bruce Pearl arrived at Auburn in 2014, he’s going to have a good problem on the court in a lot of size.

With UNC transfer Walker Kessler (7-foot-1), J.T. Thor (6-foot-10), Babatunde Akingbola (6-foot-10) and Dylan Cardwell (6-foot-11), the Tigers now have four players, counting Thor, that can be mismatches in the interior. Yet how will Pearl and his staff keep everyone happy with playing time and get the most out of their skills? The Auburn coach is learning by watching the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

“Everybody knows that they’re better when the big fella (Davis) plays the 5 and LeBron plays the 4,” Pearl said per AuburnSports.com Bryan Matthews. “Well, they’ve got a couple of centers that need to be out there. All of a sudden, they’re all playing out of position. They’re bigger. What could they be doing better?

“I watch the Lakers really carefully, because we’re probably going to be bigger. So, taking advantage of our size and it not being a weakness. Letting it be a strength and a problem for our opponents.”

The arrival of Kessler, a former five-star recruit, is one of the top gets in all of college basketball this offseason as he brings a versatility to the position that Auburn hasn’t had in the past.

When you add in Jaylin Williams (6-foot-8) and incoming freshman Jabari Smith Jr. (6-foot-9), you also have three big guys that can shoot from the outside.

“I think the thing is, you look at every team and look at what we have. We’re gonna be really big at 4 and 5, bigger than we’ve ever been,” Pearl said. “We’ve got really skilled guys at the position. Dylan is really getting skilled. He’s really mobile. Walker is really mobile. Stretch is really mobile. Jaylin and Jabari are really skilled. I’ve got five really good frontline guys. So that’s going to be different.”

Auburn, Bruce Pearl watching NBA to learn how to use size on court

Bruce Pearl has the tallest roster since arriving at Auburn and is learning how to use all of that size by watching the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the first time since Bruce Pearl arrived at Auburn in 2014, he’s going to have a good problem on the court in a lot of size.

With UNC transfer Walker Kessler (7-foot-1), J.T. Thor (6-foot-10), Babatunde Akingbola (6-foot-10) and Dylan Cardwell (6-foot-11), the Tigers now have four players, counting Thor, that can be mismatches in the interior. Yet how will Pearl and his staff keep everyone happy with playing time and get the most out of their skills? The Auburn coach is learning by watching the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

“Everybody knows that they’re better when the big fella (Davis) plays the 5 and LeBron plays the 4,” Pearl said per AuburnSports.com Bryan Matthews. “Well, they’ve got a couple of centers that need to be out there. All of a sudden, they’re all playing out of position. They’re bigger. What could they be doing better?

“I watch the Lakers really carefully, because we’re probably going to be bigger. So, taking advantage of our size and it not being a weakness. Letting it be a strength and a problem for our opponents.”

The arrival of Kessler, a former five-star recruit, is one of the top gets in all of college basketball this offseason as he brings a versatility to the position that Auburn hasn’t had in the past.

When you add in Jaylin Williams (6-foot-8) and incoming freshman Jabari Smith Jr. (6-foot-9), you also have three big guys that can shoot from the outside.

“I think the thing is, you look at every team and look at what we have. We’re gonna be really big at 4 and 5, bigger than we’ve ever been,” Pearl said. “We’ve got really skilled guys at the position. Dylan is really getting skilled. He’s really mobile. Walker is really mobile. Stretch is really mobile. Jaylin and Jabari are really skilled. I’ve got five really good frontline guys. So that’s going to be different.”

Auburn in the NBA: Reviewing Chuma Okeke’s rookie season

Chuma Okeke’s rookie season with the Orlando Magic was full of highlights and great games from the former Auburn star.

Chuma Okeke’s official rookie season came to an end in the Orlando Magic’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 28th. Okeke did not return to the court after a sprained ankle sent him to the locker room with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks for the night.

The former 16th overall draft pick spent his inaugural rookie season rehabbing with the Magic’s G-League team in Lakeland before returning to Orlando in December for NBA preseason action. Okeke scored nine points and recorded three rebounds in the Magic’s preseason debut against the Atlanta Hawks. He logged minutes in five of the Magic’s December contests before a bone bruise forced him to miss the entire month of January.

Upon his return to the court in February, Magic head coach Steve Clifford had nothing but high praise for his young forward.

“I think on both ends, obviously, he was terrific for a guy that hasn’t played for a while. He had a great first half. He also does a lot of the little things. He is very smart, high IQ, and not having him has been a hit for our team. It’s good to get him back.”

Clifford and the Magic coaching staff have been very careful in timing Okeke’s return from the torn ACL he sustained during Auburn’s Final Four run. Finally on March 12th Okeke was given his first career start against the San Antonio Spurs and oh yes, he made headlines. The Magic were down 53-41 in the third quarter against the Spurs when Keldon Johnson was called for an aggressive foul against Okeke. The call sent the former Auburn star to the line where he made all three free throws. The Magic then retained possession of the ball giving Okeke the green light to sink an open three.

The Big Chum we all remember was BACK and the Magic soon made it clear that they were all in on Okeke.

At the trade deadline the Magic sent center Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls, forward Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets, and wing Evan Fournier to the Celtics to make way for Okeke. Four days later Okeke scored a career high 22 points against Portland. Late March 2021 Okeke looked very reminiscent of March 2019 Okeke. In the Magic’s last four games for the month of March Okeke totaled 71 points, 5 steals, 9 assists, and 19 rebounds. His impact helped the Magic finish 2-2 through that four game slate after they’d began the month on a 9-game losing streak.

Okeke’s performance at the end of March catapulted him all the way to No. 2 in CBS Sports’ NBA Rookie Power Ranking.

Okeke’s rookie season may be over, but his career is just getting started. If he can manage to stay healthy through next season he will go on an absolute tear.

Auburn in the NBA: Reviewing Chuma Okeke’s rookie season

Chuma Okeke’s rookie season with the Orlando Magic was full of highlights and great games from the former Auburn star.

Chuma Okeke’s official rookie season came to an end in the Orlando Magic’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 28th. Okeke did not return to the court after a sprained ankle sent him to the locker room with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks for the night.

The former 16th overall draft pick spent his inaugural rookie season rehabbing with the Magic’s G-League team in Lakeland before returning to Orlando in December for NBA preseason action. Okeke scored nine points and recorded three rebounds in the Magic’s preseason debut against the Atlanta Hawks. He logged minutes in five of the Magic’s December contests before a bone bruise forced him to miss the entire month of January.

Upon his return to the court in February, Magic head coach Steve Clifford had nothing but high praise for his young forward.

“I think on both ends, obviously, he was terrific for a guy that hasn’t played for a while. He had a great first half. He also does a lot of the little things. He is very smart, high IQ, and not having him has been a hit for our team. It’s good to get him back.”

Clifford and the Magic coaching staff have been very careful in timing Okeke’s return from the torn ACL he sustained during Auburn’s Final Four run. Finally on March 12th Okeke was given his first career start against the San Antonio Spurs and oh yes, he made headlines. The Magic were down 53-41 in the third quarter against the Spurs when Keldon Johnson was called for an aggressive foul against Okeke. The call sent the former Auburn star to the line where he made all three free throws. The Magic then retained possession of the ball giving Okeke the green light to sink an open three.

The Big Chum we all remember was BACK and the Magic soon made it clear that they were all in on Okeke.

At the trade deadline the Magic sent center Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls, forward Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets, and wing Evan Fournier to the Celtics to make way for Okeke. Four days later Okeke scored a career high 22 points against Portland. Late March 2021 Okeke looked very reminiscent of March 2019 Okeke. In the Magic’s last four games for the month of March Okeke totaled 71 points, 5 steals, 9 assists, and 19 rebounds. His impact helped the Magic finish 2-2 through that four game slate after they’d began the month on a 9-game losing streak.

Okeke’s performance at the end of March catapulted him all the way to No. 2 in CBS Sports’ NBA Rookie Power Ranking.

Okeke’s rookie season may be over, but his career is just getting started. If he can manage to stay healthy through next season he will go on an absolute tear.