Tag: zep jasper

Ten New Year’s resolutions for Auburn basketball

Here are ten New Year’s resolutions for Auburn basketball.

The Tigers ended 2021 with a bang.

Auburn picked up a 70-55 win over No. 16 LSU to both open up conference play and to close out the year.

Now, the Tigers enter 2022 with more fanfare and hype than potentially ever before. Come Monday, the Tigers should be inside the top 10 of the AP top 25 poll, with a ridiculous amount of momentum heading into Tuesday’s contest at South Carolina.

While the team may be feeling itself now, there are still a lot that Bruce Pearl & Co. have set out to accomplish in the new year.

Here are ten New Year’s resolutions for Auburn basketball.

Auburn basketball will be in front of family this weekend

This is pretty cool.

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Auburn basketball will be primed and ready to take on Nebraska in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend.

Bruce Pearl has done a tremendous job recruiting the state of Georgia and the seven players on the Auburn basketball roster from the state of Georgia are going to be excited to return home.

Zep Jasper, an Augusta, Georgia native talked about the excitement of being able to play in front of his family this weekend in his home state on the “Locked On Auburn” podcast.

“We’re going to be excited to play. We have five or six Georgia guys, meaning we are going to see our family. Our families are going to get to see us up close in Atlanta. These Georgia guys, we’ve got a lot of scouts, and this and that, we are going to come out with so much energy. it is going to be contagious. I’m so excited to play just to see my family. Just to see people from Augusta come in and watch and see how Auburn basketball is instead of seeing it on TV. They get to see it in person.”

Point guard K.D. Johnson is from Atlanta, forward Jaylin Williams is from Nahunta, Jabari Smith is from Fayetteville, Walker Kessler is from Newnan, Michael Whitmore is from Dunwoody, and Dylan Cardwell is from Augusta.

The Tigers will be pumped and should be well represented in Statefarm Arena this Saturday.

Takeaways from Auburn basketball’s win over Loyola Chicago

Here are some takeaways from Auburn’s win over Sister Jean & Co.

The defense finally pulled itself together for the Tigers.

Auburn handled. Loyola Chicago 62-53 in the consolation bracket of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. The Tigers needed to figure some things out on the defensive end after letting UConn score 115 points in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis yesterday, and it still took them a half to figure it out in this one.

Loyola Chicago was shooting over 70% from the floor and 60% from three as the first half came to a close. The Ramblers finished the day shooting 44.7% overall and 30.4% from deep.

Here are five takeaways from Auburn’s win.

Five reasons why Auburn basketball is going to win the SEC

Sip the Kool-Aid with us, will you?

It’s never to late to pump some sunshine.

Auburn played decently well against Morehead State on Tuesday night in a 77-54 win. The Tigers let off the gas in the second half, but overall their talent was shining through, and as a fan that’s what I wanted to see most.

I know there are a lot of folks high up on teams like Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and even LSU and Mississippi State. The Southeastern Conference has a loaded field of teams this season. But I think the Tigers of Auburn are going to be the ones that come out on top.

Here are five reasons why.

Five takeaways from Auburn basketball’s 68-54 win over Southern Indiana

We love this team already.

I’m already in love with this team.

Auburn didn’t shoot the basketball well, they were sloppy throughout the entire game, and were down 9-0 early in the contest. I still love them.

The Tigers defeated Southern Indiana 68-54 in their exhibition game on Friday night. Devan Cambridge lead Auburn with 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting. Isaiah Swope of USI led all scorers with 15 points, knocking down a trio of threes.

Overall, as to be expected, the Tigers were sloppy, but this keep in mind this was an exhibition game. AU’s Final Four squad lost their exhibition game.

Here are five takeaways from Auburns win over USI.

Zep Jasper says he’s gained 20 pounds since arriving at Auburn

Zep Jasper is ready for a HUGE season.

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Zep Jasper has been a huge pickup for Auburn basketball this offseason.

The former College of Charleston guard has been impressive in Auburn basketball’s preseason practices and will be a starter for the Tigers once the season begins next week.

The jump from the College of Charleston to Auburn was an adjustment for Jasper but he talked about how the strength and conditioning program changed his body since he arrived on campus.

Jasper told the “Locked On Auburn” podcast that he has gained 20 pounds since transferring to Auburn. He also talked about how he has learned to be more aggressive on the floor.

“The jump from the weight room to the basketball standpoint, I’ve gained 20 pounds since I’ve been here,” Jasper said. “I got stronger, bigger, I’ve been finishing with contact. With conditioning, I’m in really great shape.

“From the basketball standpoint, I’ve been working on my passes, just trying to read ball screens better, and just trying to be aggressive. You know, at first, I wasn’t aggressive when I got here. i was trying to learn and adjust. But once I started getting used to it and got the feel of what I could do in this system, I started feeling comfortable.”

The Tigers play Southern Indiana Friday in an exhibition at 7:00 CT p.m. at Auburn Arena.

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Projecting Auburn basketball’s starting lineup

Who do you think starts at small forward?

Auburn has something they haven’t had at every position under Bruce Pearl.

Depth.

The Tigers dipped into the transfer portal and picked up three transfer guards to solidify the depth there. Auburn can go four-deep at small forward. The Tigers have a spot-up shooter in Jabari Smith at power forward… and don’t forget Auburn has three centers on the roster who are expected to play significant minutes.

This is easily the most well-rounded roster Bruce Pearl has ever had. The issue doesn’t lie in the talent, but in the fact that there may be too many mouths to feed.

Here is the projected starting lineup for Auburn basketball’s season opener vs Morehead State. Keep in mind that Allen Flanigan will be out until mid-December.

Updated look at 2021-22 Auburn basketball potential starting lineup

Auburn’s roster has undergone a major makeover with key departures and incoming stars. Here’s a look at a potential starting lineup.

It’s been a couple of weeks since we took a look at what Auburn’s basketball roster could look like next season and, boy, it has been busy days for Bruce Pearl and company.

Vaunted guard signee Trey Alexander decided to reopen his commitment and said he won’t be playing with the Tigers now while the future of JT Thor in an Auburn uniform looks shaky as ever.

The NCAA transfer portal has been helpful for the Tigers, though, as they have signed some quality players in North Carolina center Walker Kessler, College of Charleston guard Zep Jasper, Eastern Kentucky guard Wendell Green Jr. and Arkansas guard Desi Sills.

With those additions along with the departures of Sharife Cooper, Justin Powell, Jamal Johnson and Javon Franklin, here’s an updated look at what the lineup could look like along with some key contributors.

Early look at 2021-22 Auburn basketball potential starting lineup, key contributors

Auburn has added three quality players including former 5-star recruit Walker Kessler heading into the 2021-22 season.

The Auburn men’s basketball roster will not look as different as it did this past season but there are many changes to Bruce Pearl’s team.

With the departure of Sharife Cooper to the NBA draft, Justin Powell, Jamal Johnson and Javon Franklin to the transfer portal and the possibility of J.T. Thor also going to the NBA, Auburn has hit the portal hard for talented players including Zep Jasper, Wendell Green and Walker Kessler.

All-in-all, the Tigers will be a much improved team after a season in which Auburn had no experience returning.

Here’s a quick look at a potential starting lineup along with key contributors for Pearl.

College of Charleston transfer, Auburn target on Tigers: ‘Love their style of play’

Zep Jasper, a grad transfer and Auburn target, is a big fan of both Auburn’s style of play and Bruce Pearl.

With the departure of Justin Powell to the NCAA Transfer Portal and possible exit of Sharife Cooper to the NBA draft, Auburn might be looking for some experienced guard play for the 2021-22 season.

In steps College of Charleston and Auburn target Zep Jasper who Bruce Pearl and his staff have let known that he is a huge priority for them.

For Jasper, it could be a match made in heaven.

“It felt great because I love Auburn,” Jasper said per AuburnSports.com. “I love their style of play. I love their staff. I’ve been looking at Auburn since Malik Dunbar was there. I’m from Augusta. Malik is from Augusta. Dylan Cardwell also is from Augusta. I always tune in to their games.”

That style of play suits the guard well as he led the Cougars in points by averaging 15.6 per game this past season. A graduate transfer, Jasper has two years of eligibility left and, it appears, wouldn’t mind a bit playing for Pearl.

“Bruce Pearl is just an excellent coach,” Jasper said. “He’s very outgoing. He gets his players going and he has a great coaching staff: Coach (Steven) Pearl, Coach (Wes) Flanigan and Coach (Ira) Bowman. I’ve talked to Steven, too, and like him. He is a great dude, a very cool dude.

“I like the whole staff. Auburn has a great staff, a great program. I really think it’s a good fit for me.”