Isaac Okoro finished second on the Tigers with 12.9 and 4.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.
With the 2020 NBA Draft coming ever closer, a lot of attention is being paid to former Auburn standout Isaac Okoro. Not only do the scouts like his game, some college basketball analysts are also fond of his ability.
“In the Kentucky game, [Okoro] was the most physically imposing player on the floor,’’ ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said. “He was tough to keep off the glass and out of the lane. His body is NBA-ready.”
In a NY Post article talking about the possibility of the one-and-done joining the New York Knicks, the praise continued.
“This draft [Okoro] gets consideration as high as No. 4,’’ one NBA personnel director told The Post. “He’s got NBA size, is an athlete with toughness and plays D. So he can get on the court fairly quickly. Coaches like that. After the top three, you can make a case for a lot of players.’’
Greenberg even went as far as comparing him to Toronto Raptors star Jaylen Brown.
“He’s a winner,’’ Greenberg told The Post. “He probably could defend 1-to-4 without an issue. He’s physically strong. He’s got a good floor game. You can post him up. He’s got some similarities to Jaylen. Physically strong, really defend and a toughness about him. High energy. Relentless work ethic. The thing I like the most is just his relentlessness.
“Jaylen Brown had the same question coming out of college, too, and he’s a good shooter now.”
Of course, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl knows what Okoro is able to do on the court after coaching him for one season and, after meeting with the Knicks organization, is confident in the team getting the right guy.
“They’ve done their homework on him,” Pearl told The Post recently. “I didn’t get a read on it, but they’ve done their due diligence.”
The star freshman finished second in both points and rebounds for Auburn last season.
This might require some tissues to cry into.
On Monday, Auburn basketball’s Twitter account released a video of Isaac Okoro penning a letter to Auburn and its fans as he announced that he is staying in the NBA draft.
The former Auburn forward discusses his recruiting and playing in the Final Four.
Former Auburn basketball standout Anfernee McLemore appeared Monday on The JBoy Show to discuss everything from his recruitment to his professional career. Here’s what the former Auburn forward had to say:
On academics:
If you saw broadcasters’ conversations come to a lull during basketball season then you probably heard that McLemore was accepted to MIT. Academics were extremely important to McLemore who grew up in a military family. He credits his mother for instilling that academic background in him at an early age.
What brought him to Auburn:
When Auburn played USA, Bruce Pearl wrote the players’ names on the board in the locker room. Next to Anfernee McLemore’s name, he wrote “Maverick” — the name of Ant’s son, who was born yesterday.
BP made it to Columbus yesterday to see Ant, his fiancée and Maverick.
After visiting multiple schools in the northern U.S. and even Mississippi State none offered the welcoming environment that McLemore yearned for. He said, “what every recruit looks for as far as what college they want to go to is a place that feels like home.” No other coach made their school feel more at home than Bruce Pearl he added.
On being a part of the Final Four:
“I like to say I was in the right place at the right time.”
No team in college basketball had bigger chips on their shoulders than the 2018-2019 Auburn basketball team. Prolific point guards Bryce Brown and Jared Harper were drastically overlooked. McLemore cites that coming from a smaller high school created the chip on his shoulder. That Final Four team was the embodiment of grit and determination.
McLemore’s favorite memory on the Final Four run came from the New Mexico State game. Yeah, that same game where Auburn won by one point after a missed three-point attempt. The entire team was so disappointed in the locker room and they conveyed to each other that they would have to put their skills into overdrive to compete against Kansas in the next game. “You could hear a pin drop,” was his description of that locker room, a stark difference from the post game celebrations we saw in the Tigers’ next three victories.
On his three-point shooting:
Auburn forward Anfernee McLemore discusses his recovery from a horrific leg injury two years ago as well as his increased use of the three-pointer. #WarEaglepic.twitter.com/pua3Fvj4E5
McLemore was recruited as a 6’7 center. When he was a freshman he was told that he would need to improve his outside shooting to be a more effective player. Pearl’s confidence and expectation of him is what he says was the key to his improvement during his playing career.
Future plans:
Today McLemore is a wealth manager at Regions Bank in Birmingham and he’s very excited about the future of his professional career. He also encourages fans to check out his YouTube channel if you want to hear stories from the man himself.
Which player on the roster we should buy stock in?
According to McLemore we need to buy stock in Jaylin Williams NOW. McLemore describes Williams as, “one of the most talented freshmen I’ve seen in my life.” Wow, and with a year of experience the sky is the limit for the upcoming sophomore.
The Voice of the Auburn Tigers talks about basketball’s rise under Bruce Pearl and his late radio partner Rod Bramblett.
Andy Burcham sat down with Jason Caldwell of Inside the Auburn Tigers for a six-part interview. The two discuss Bruce Pearl’s success and remember the late Rod Bramblett.
What “it” factor does Burcham see in Pearl?
Burcham says,
“For one thing it’s authentic. His enthusiasm, his love for his players, his love for Tennessee when he was there, southern Indiana you know when he won a national championship there, and his love for Auburn is unique and authentic”
Burcham also describes Pearl as being a tough coach who gains the respect of his players. Coach Pearl has made his mission statement at Auburn known and his players understand the biggest goal is to get better.
“His love for them is not just as basketball players at Auburn.”
Burcham uses Anfernee McLemore as an example. McLemore’s fiancee gave birth to his son right after the South Alabama game. Pearl helped arrange for McLemore to fly back to Auburn with AD Allen Greene so that he could get back quicker.
In the last three years, Pearl has taken Auburn basketball to three consecutive 25-win seasons, a regular season SEC championship, an SEC Tournament championship and a Final Four appearance. Auburn basketball was a complete mess when Bruce Pearl arrived. Burcham describes the transformation as “one of the more remarkable stories in Auburn athletic history.”
Remembering Rod Bramblett:
Bramblett passed away right before Auburn baseball played Georgia Tech in the NCAA Regionals. Burcham was not in the broadcast booth. When the Tigers punched their ticket to their first Super Regional since 1999, Burcham knew he had to go. This was history.
They would face off against North Carolina, a team who had never lost in a Super Regional.
The Tigers forced the Tar Heels to a three game series. In the final game Auburn scored 13 runs in the first inning. Burcham remembers thinking, “don’t let this team be the team that blows a 13 run lead.”
Auburn held on and advanced to the College World Series for the first time since 1997. As the last pitch was thrown Burcham remained seated in the broadcast booth. Usually at this moment he’d be down on the field for post game coverage while Rod stayed in the booth to begin the post game show.
Baseball was what bonded the two together. Rod was all he could think about in that moment. In the two minutes between the last pitch and the post game show Burcham recalls, “I got really emotional. I had time to get emotional and gather my senses and then send it down to Paul.”
And when the Tigers finally made it to Omaha Burcham recalls telling Kirk Sampson, “Rod would love this.”
If it seems like Auburn is in the mix to land one of the top players in every recruiting class, that’s because they are.
If it seems like Auburn is in the mix to land one of the top players in every recruiting class, that’s because it is.
In 2020, Bruce Pearl signed the Tigers’ highest-rated player ever in Shariffe Cooper and, in 2021, they are in the mix for the No. 1 player Jonathan Kuminga. For the 2022 class, they are going after the No. 3 point guard and a top 20 player in Scoot Henderson.
Henderson, who is out of Marietta, Ga., is being heavily recruited by Auburn and works out with a former Auburn star.
“Since I work out with Jared [Harper] right now, I feel like we have a little bit of a similar game,” Henderson said. “I feel like the way he played that year they went to the Final Four, I think that I could do the same on any squad. But that’s the way Auburn plays.”
Like Harper, Henderson is aggressive in space but is built differently, already standing 6-foot-2 to Harper’s smaller 5-foot-11 frame.
He has already been to several Auburn basketball games and has started to build a relationship with Wes Flanigan, his primary recruiter, and Bruce Pearl.
“I talk more with Coach Wes; my dad is probably closer with Coach Pearl,” Henderson said. “Coach Pearl is an enthusiastic guy. Very energetic. I like the energy. With Coach Wes, he’s chill.”
Henderson is a big fan of the open and fast Auburn playing style and their family approach.
“They play fast,” Henderson said. “And they keep pushing the ball. They space the floor. I like to play fast, space the floor. It would give me a chance to operate — show what I’m capable of doing.”
“It’s like a family over there, they treat you well. A lot of players from Atlanta and around my area have played over there and he lets the kids play, he lets them go.”
With the return of AAU basketball Henderson has had several huge performances and garnered some more attention.
While he will not be able to sign with a team for quite some time, he would like to start visiting schools “close to football season,” and Auburn is among those teams.
“Auburn for right now, Alabama and there may be a couple of other SEC schools like Georgia, Florida State and Ole Miss.”
Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan talks recruiting, winning and coaching his son.
Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan recently caught up with Jake Crain of The Jboy Show. The two talk about everything from recruiting to the future stars of Auburn hoops.
Recruiting:
Recruiting has skyrocketed after Auburn’s historic run to the Final Four in 2019. Auburn’s 2020 class is currently ranked ninth nationally on 247Sports. They bring in 5-star PG Sharife Cooper, 4-star PF JT Thor, 3-star PF Chris Moore, 3-star SG Justin Powell, and 3-star C Dylan Cardwell.
What’s Auburn’s biggest secret to success? According to Coach Flanigan:
“A lot of it is based on winning. When you start winning you create this fanbase, and our fanbase is unbelievable. I feel like we’ve got the best home court advantage in the SEC and one of the best in the country.”
Family is also important when it comes to Auburn’s style of recruiting. “We keep the families close. Our families are a part of our team, we don’t push those families back we urge them to continue to support their kids.” Flanigan continues to describe how Coach Pearl built Auburn basketball on the foundation of family. Bruce Pearl’s son Steven has coached alongside his father for six years now and was promoted to assistant coach in 2017. Flanigan’s son Allen had a successful freshman season appearing in all 31 games and finished as the Tigers’ third-best rebounding guard.
On coaching his son:
Flanigan never imagined that he and his son would be at Auburn at the same time, but it feels like a dream come true for the assistant coach.
Allen Flanigan | Little Rock, Ark.
✅ 6-5, 200, F ✅ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and No. 1️⃣ player in Arkansas ✅ Son of Auburn legend and current assistant coach Wes Flanigan ✅ 13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.9 spg as a junior at Parkview Magnet HS#WarEaglepic.twitter.com/MQgt1HgXpm
Coaching your son’s basketball team isn’t always easy. Flanigan describes the experience to be, “like a roller coaster,” citing the he and his son’s different emotions as well as the ups and downs that come with coaching. Now that he coaches his son he feels an additional level of anxiety that didn’t exist before. “I want him to do so well a lot of times so that adds a little anxiety and pressure to me.”
On the 2018-2019 season:
Against Georgia: Flanigan realized a major turning point in the season as Auburn faced Georgia on the road after a brutal loss to Ole Miss. Georgia didn’t have a great RPI and the Tigers knew that another humiliating loss would damage their tournament hopes. The game came down to a three from Chuma Okeke. Flanigan said that was Chuma’s, “I’m ready, now I’ve arrived” moment.
Skip to 2:30 for that Okeke three:
Against Kansas: “When I watched us play the way we played against Kansas, that was the first time I felt really, really good about us getting to the Final Four.”
Against North Carolina: “When we played North Carolina I felt like there was no way we was losing to them.”
Which Auburn players we should start buying stock in:
“As a dad, Allen Flanigan,” Wes laughs. (he’s not joking, buy stock now).
Our @AuburnMBB Rockstar of the Month is Babatunde “Stretch” Akingbola! He is always up for a challenge and takes great pride in doing his best. His perseverance is unmatched and we can’t wait to see what he can do on the court! #WarEaglepic.twitter.com/S9TlrrG5fH
Tyrell Jones, Babatunde (Flanigan cites his impressive work ethic), Jaylin Williams-all highly recruited (buy stock now).
“The thing we’ll miss that we’ve had the last few years is the level of experience, but the talent is there.” Flanigan says there are a lot of (Auburn basketball 2020-2021, these boys are going to be fun to watch just buy stock now).
Shay replaces Steve Forbes, another former UT assistant, who led the Buccaneers to the Southern Conference regular-season championship and tournament title en route to being named conference coach of the year in 2020.
Forbes was named head coach at Wake Forest recently and was hired there by former Tennessee athletics director John Currie.
Shay and Forbes were both assistant coaches for the Volunteers under Bruce Pearl.
Shay, who was named interim head coach at ETSU upon Forbes’ departure, was an assistant for the Bucs over the past five seasons. He was an assistant on Rocky Top for six seasons and worked for Pearl for more than a decade.
Forbes, who guided ETSU to a 30-4 record last season, coached in Knoxville between 2006-11.
Auburn Tigers freshman wing Isaac Okoro will reportedly test the waters and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, pending feedback from teams.
Auburn Tigers freshman wing Isaac Okoro will reportedly test the waters and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, pending feedback from teams.
Okoro is nineteen years old and averaged 12.9 points with 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during his freshman campaign in the SEC. He also averaged 1.01 points per possession on offense, per Synergy, which finished 86th percentile among all NCAA players. His offensive rating (112.8) ranked second-best among all of the freshmen in his conference.
He was named Second-Team All-SEC as well as All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team. The accolades may help improve his draft stock despite the shortened season.
Bruce Pearl says Isaac Okoro is making himself eligible for the NBA draft. If Okoro is able to go through the process and is told he's a lottery pick, Pearl will advise him to leave Auburn.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl told reporters on Friday evening that if Okoro learns he is projected as one of the first fourteen names selected in the upcoming NBA Draft, he should keep his name in consideration (via Rivals):
“Pearl and Auburn were told by NBA scouts for most of the 2019-20 season that Okoro will be a lottery pick. The defensive specialist who also averaged 13 points per game with the Tigers was at one point — and still is, in a few mock drafts — considered a top-5 pick. Pearl said if Okoro receives that same feedback whenever and however the draft process is carried out, the coach will tell him he should take advantage of it and become an NBA player.”
Okoro had developed a reputation for winning, as his high school team went undefeated en route to a state title when he was a senior. As mentioned by Pearl, after winning all fifteen of their first games to start the season, Okoro began gaining momentum as one of the top prospects in the upcoming draft class.
The former Top-40 recruit saw his first college basketball season end on a sour note, unfortunately, with Auburn dropping two of the final games that Okoro played before the abrupt conclusion.
Even though he is one of the most impressive athletes in this class, aspects of his game that require more work and attention were exposed for concern. For example, the prospect connected on approximately six field goals per game. However, only 19.2 percent of those attempts were from beyond five feet of the basket.
Credit: Synergy Sports Tech
It is worth noting that when Okoro had been given the opportunity to score as the ballhandler in transition or when cutting to the basket, he was remarkably efficient. For example, his two-point percentage (60.2 percent) ranked sixth-best among all freshmen who recorded as many attempts in 2019-20. But just 16.0 percent of those attempts were jumpers, per Hoop-Math.com,
That makes sense as the freshman averaged just 0.73 points per possession when shooting off the catch in a set offense, per Synergy, which ranked 19th percentile. He was just 11-for-45 (24.4 percent) on these looks, showcasing a lack of touch as a shooter.
That being said, there are plenty of other prospects who did not have much of a jump shot coming out of college who turned out to be productive players in the NBA.
By the way, Auburn SF Isaac Okoro’s top player comparison on KenPom now is… a freshman Kawhi Leonard.
Kawhi Leonard, who has shot 38.1 percent from three-point range during his career, connected on just 20.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc as a freshman.
More recently, Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington has proven another example of someone who drastically improved his jumper. Washington made just 23.8 percent of his field goals from downtown as a freshman in the SEC for the Kentucky Wildcats. But as an NBA rookie, he is now shooting 37.4 percent from three.
Most mock drafts and big boards have Okoro falling somewhere between No. 3 overall and No. 17 overall. Our latest big board at Rookie Wire projects his stock at No. 9 overall.
There are going to be a handful of front offices who will be eager to select Okoro and pair him with a shooting coach the way the San Antonio Spurs once did with Leonard and Chip Engelland. One of those teams will likely have a lottery pick and it will be hard to convince them that there are more enticing prospects than Okoro.
Former Vol assistant Steve Forbes guides ETSU to NCAA Tournament.
ASHEVILLE — Former University of Tennessee assistant and men’s basketball coach Steve Forbes is headed back to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Forbes and his East Tennessee State University team punched their ticket to the Big Dance when they defeated Wofford, 72-58, Monday night in the Southern Conference Championship game at U.S. Cellular Arena.
The Buccaneers won the regular-season Southern Conference title and were the top seed in the postseason tournament.
The Bucs (30-4) are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
Forbes has been the head coach at ETSU since 2015 when he replaced Murry Bartow.
Forbes is the 2020 Southern Conference Coach of the Year and was an assistant at Tennessee under Bruce Pearl between 2006-11.
He has won 130 games as the head coach in Johnson City.
Jason Shay, who also coached under Pearl on Rocky Top, is an assistant on Forbes’ staff with the Buccaneers.
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee will host Auburn Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena to conclude the 2019-20 regular season.
The contest will tipoff at Noon ET and will be televised on ESPN2. Mike Morgan and Jimmy Dykes will have the call.
Guards Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden will be honored during pregame for a Senior Day ceremony.
Feb 22, 2020; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl celebrates with his players after the Tigers beat the Tennessee Volunteers at Auburn Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
The matchup is the second between the Tigers and Vols this season. Auburn defeated UT on Feb. 22, 73-66, at Auburn Arena.
Tennessee-Auburn all-time series
Tennessee leads the all-time series against Auburn, 78-42, dating back to 1927
The Vols are 48-8 when the series is played in Knoxville
UT has won 11 of the last 16 meetings in the series
