Thank you Seniors and Okoro!!!!

[GwillMac6 20,600]

I am absolutely gutted and honestly bummed out that we never will get to see them again in a AU uniform. I hate it had to end like this the way it did but as other people have said it is bigger than basketball. So many great memories made this season that we will never forget!!!!

Thank you to the seniors (and BP of course among other amazing players the past few years) for forever changing this program and the culture for the better!!! I am forever grateful for y'all turning this program completely around. The past 3 years of AU bball have been 3 of my favorite seasons for any sport in my 30 years as a AU fan!! Wooooo!!!! Let's gooo!!!! War damn seniors!!! War damn okoro!!!!

[GwillMac6 20,600]

[GwillMac6 20,600]

 

 

[gr82be 14,401]

3 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

 

In many ways Mc has really been my favorite of the Seniors. I appreciate them all but Anfernee went through so much and I admire him for the way he handled it all. 

[AUBwins 10,063]

We love you guys.  Best of luck to your professional endeavors.  Thank you for changing Auburn Basketball forever. 

[tgrogan21 6,198]

Gonna suck not seeing these young men in an Auburn uniform again. I know it'll never happen but I really wish the NCAA would give all the seniors not going pro a 1-game eligibility next year so the fans can get a proper goodbye.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,640]

It would be lovely to at least play out the SEC tourney later down the road, but I know that's logistically very difficult. Sad way to go but at least they finished on their best game of the season  

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Thank you for everything you have done, thank you for putting in the work to become the most winningest class in AU history. Thank you for your relentess effort. Thank you Doughty for your crazy “Nobody can stop me” games and bringing an attitude that not only fueled the team but the fans as well , thank you Mccormick for your wings 3’s late and floaters  in games that can’t miss. Right wing is your spot in 2k, just the cycle of life. Wiley, thank you for always being a baller, you’ve always given your all every single year, and been a beast on the boards. DP, you always stayed ready, I’ve seen you almost unstoppable at times, keep grinding big fella.  Mac, bro, I saw u as a top 15 player in basketball, I hope u reach that point again, you’re good enough to do that. Thank you for everything you have done for AU, you have done everything the right way! This late class means a lot to me, they went through some tough times in AU athletics and they always came out  on top. Hope these guys get another year, if they choose to come back. This team, especially these seniors that were here from the start, I’ll remember forever. WDE

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

I just can’t comprehend this as the last time I’ll see this bunch...

[twilli13 600]

1 hour ago, gr82be said:

In many ways Mc has really been my favorite of the Seniors. I appreciate them all but Anfernee went through so much and I admire him for the way he handled it all. 

What a warrior. Mouthing Chuma Chuma over and over before hitting those 2 clutch free throws was shades of Bo Kimble shooting left handed to honor Hank Gathers. Still gives me chills. These kids were all heart. 

[twilli13 600]

Im still processing this. And Im a 38 year old man. I can only imagine what these kids are feeling. My heart breaks for them. That being said, they completely reinvigorated my love for college basketball. These last 3 years (hell even 4 as we were fun to watch in spurts the year before the SEC regular season title) were one hell of a ride. We owe that to these excellent young men and our outstanding coach. Lets keep this ride going even with this dissapointment. I have no doubt we will. We are Auburn, its what we do. We rise. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

1 hour ago, gr82be said:

In many ways Mc has really been my favorite of the Seniors. I appreciate them all but Anfernee went through so much and I admire him for the way he handled it all. 

Crazy thing about mac, playing like one of the best players in basketball. He gives a Class presentation on Gordon Hayward’s injury; he suffers the same injury the following day.

[Grumps 3,693]

War Eagle to the Basketball Auburn Men!!!! I have LOVED this season!!!! Wiley bulked up to become a rebounding & double/double MACHINE! McLemore comes back from injury and still has HOPS! Purifoy's smooth stroke when we NEVER thought he'd stay around! McCormick was the little engine that could--I never thought he'd do such a good job of keeping me from missing Jared Harper--that game where he took over and got us into OT with crazy threes! Doughty, first team all-SEC baby with the Philly swag! Okoro who outworked everyone! I just loved these guys! Thanks so much men for bringing Auburn so much joy and for representing Auburn with such class!

[alexava 6,972]

This is crazy! Give everyone an extra year of eligibility. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

1 minute ago, alexava said:

This is crazy! Give everyone an extra year of eligibility. 

I also say inject old school Mac back into his veins, it’s only fair. He got robbed 

[bigbird 60,367]

3 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

 

 

On 11/17/2017 at 1:30 PM, bigbird said:

McLemore is my favorite. I love his game.

With Jared, Bryce, Chuma, Austin, Purifoy, Okoro, Doughty, et al., Mac is and has been my favorite since he stepped on campus. I think his game and contributions will be the hardest to replicate and one of the most missed next year. He will go on to do great things wherever his path leads.

[AUBwins 10,063]

I just wanted to see how this team was going to grind through tourney season. They have so much grit, look at the multiple double digit comebacks and OT wins.  That would have been fun to see in the madness. 

[abw0004 10,104]

When I was a student you went to basketball games just because it was another Auburn game to watch.  You didn't expect to win but you went anyways (sometimes just to get your Spirit points for block seating in football).  When Bruce Pearl joined the staff I still did not pay attention much because we have had coaching changes before.

It is one of those things where in the moment you tend to take things for granted.  When we lose it hurt.  Last year when we went on our losing streak in SEC play we thought this was a wasted season.  Many wanted Purifoy to go ahead and leave the team due to his Twitter posts venting his frustration of playing time.  And then the magical run happened.  You tend to forget everyone's transgressions.  Purifoy was one of the heros in the NCAA Tournament and we hoped he would never leave.

Our group of seniors taught us to love Auburn basketball again.  They taught us to expect greatness in the sport.  They taught us how to fight when no one else was in our corner and wanted us to be a bust in the investigation.

To the seniors, thank you.  Moving forward every team will have your fingerprints all over it.  You may be long gone from the court in Auburn, but your impact will never die.  Thank you for never giving up on Auburn.  Thank you for never giving up on your team.  Thank you for never giving up on yourselves.  I will always look at Auburn basketball and think of you.

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

This tweet absolutely gutted me 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[gravejd 3,267]

I'm just going to ignore this thread for a few more days. Not ready to to say goodbye to these guys yet.......hoping against hope they some how bring the tourney back in a couple weeks

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

'What's next?': Pearl focusing on players' futures as sport reaches limbo

 

Nathan King • AuburnSports

Staff

@byNathanKing

 

Around the time Auburn was supposed to be leaving its hotel in Nashville on Friday, en route to Bridgestone Arena for its SEC quarterfinals matchup, Bruce Pearl will meet with his team about the future.

The Tigers' head coach, whose sixth season on the Plains was abruptly cut short, will zero in on one overarching question that every college basketball team across America faces this week.

"What's next?" Pearl said Thursday on ESPN's SportsCenter. "What does the rest of this semester look like?" 

 

 

 

 

Samir Doughty (10) stands with Bruce Pearl during Auburn vs. Kentucky. (Julie Bennett / AP)

The 2019-20 Auburn basketball team was 25-6, finishing second in the SEC. Pearl thought the Tigers had all the tools to make another run in Nashville. With the way they ended the season with a monster win at Tennessee, there was no telling where momentum could have taken them in March.

That's a big "what-if" that every team across the country is having to cope with right now.

"We were hoping we could play for another couple championships," Pearl said. "Obviously the student-athletes were disappointed."

A day after ruling that March Madness would be played without fans in attendance, the NCAA announced Thursday that the entire ordeal would be canceled — along with all other spring and winter championships, due to the ongoing threat of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the United States.

No national champion will be crowned in men's basketball for the first time since 1938.

Like many coaches right now, Pearl said he had hoped for a postponement of March Madness rather than an outright cancellation, but he understands the NCAA gathered all necessary information from its COVID-19 committee before coming to a decision. 

"I don't have all the facts," Pearl said.

Before that news, the dominoes were violently falling earlier in the day. Pearl said that he told his team on the bus on the way back from the arena that the SEC Tournament was set to be canceled. The responses were of anger, sadness and tears, he said.

Pearl said it was a "surreal" feeling in Nashville on Thursday morning. Everyone involved with the tournament could tell something wasn't right, and could sense that something had to be done after two NBA players had tested positive for the virus in the last 14 hours. Surely these kids weren't about to play basketball, especially after Auburn players left their morning practice wearing medical gloves.

"There was so much else going on outside the building in the morning that it seemed like what we were doing in there may not have been as important as it was at other times in their careers," Pearl said.

In spite of that, Pearl said the Tigers weren't apprehensive about playing. His team was ready to compete if they had been asked to. Anfernee McLemore, Austin Wiley, Danjel Purifoy, Samir Doughty and J'Von McCormick, who make up the winningest senior class in program history, weren't ready to see their Auburn careers dashed away. 

Now, Pearl said he'll make sure to get his players moving in the right direction as it relates to their individual situations. He said the team will remain in Auburn at least for now as the university moves to online courses until at least April 10.

For the draft-ready players, Auburn's coaches will do everything they can to help them prepare adequately for meetings, combines and more. For the seniors, Pearl will make sure they are transitioning well to their classes and are set to graduate on time. For the returning players, it'll be about next season.

But most of all, Pearl said his No. 1 focus is to keep his Tigers healthy and safe.

"Our season is over," Pearl said. "We were 25-6. We finished second in this league. We probably would have been a 4- or 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. But our time together is up. Now it's about you. It's about each one of those individuals, and where do we go from here."

-------

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[ellitor 33,062]

40 minutes ago, gravejd said:

.hoping against hope they some how bring the tourney back in a couple weeks

From what I read from the official report from John Hopkins this will go through the Summer & potentially surge in the Fall so that would mean no football.

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

Others are more eloquent then I am so I am going to keep it simple and to the point and I am going to yell it.

 

THANK YOU TO ALL THE SENIORS WHO TURNED THIS PROGRAM AROUND