Yes!!!! SEC Champs!!!

On 4/23/2021 at 11:12 AM, steeleagle said:

Your logic doesn't mean it's right. The bottom line is he was conflicted and probably was 50/50 just by his inconsistent versions of which school. 

Your comments seem to try to highlight problems with Pearl's luck w how some of the recruits have changed their minds or left. I don't think anyone on here is putting this on Pearl. We all support him and love how he is getting top level players to sign w/ Auburn. 

Don't take someone's quick frustration in commenting here w some of the player's decisions or reevaluation, as a statement or problem w/ Pearl and the program. Everyone supports the team.

I made a point about where is head was at and what he actually said directly after committing to the G-League. Not months after the fact. Like I said, I think it was all bull with him anyway, he was never going to college. Jalen was pretty much all G-league the moment his pay went 500k+. Period. Nothing Penny or Bruce could have done outside of paying him would have gotten him on campus. What I am highlighting is the fact that people on here have been spouting off unknowns or opinions as fact, and then making negative comments in regards to Bruce's recruiting which has happened.

Also, obviously people are welcome to feel or say whatever they want. Doesn't mean those of us who are basketball fans who have been following, playing, and coaching the sport for 20-30-40-50+ years can't chime in and correct misconceptions or give our own takes as well.

The minute Desi committed and Alexander decommitted you had people saying great, but then saying it sucks because it cost us Alexander, or claiming a high school player who hasn't played 1 second of college ball is better than 2-4 year college basketball experienced players because of a high school ranking. Again, he could be, but where are the facts here? based on what? High School competition in Oklahoma which is a weak state for HS basketball? AAU ball? Some have posted he was better than Zep and Desi as is right now with no proof.

There are generally players you can see that type of skill in. Most of them aren't below the top 50. Occasionally and this is like 2-3 out of a few hundred players. You'll get that under the radar player who was much better than his ranking. All I am saying is instead of jumping to conclusions or start bashing, give Desi, Green, Zep, and whoever comes in a chance. We are in a great spot. Last season was rough. Bruce saw things he wanted corrected. He has brought in the players who he thinks will correct them. 

1 hour ago, GwillMac6 said:

And in a more recent interview he said Auburn. He has changed his story a couple of time's. Who knows what the truth is.

 

Sure I guess. The one I posted was were his head was at the time he chose the G-League. Which is why I selected it. At the time of his commitment what did he say. Not well after. 

I would have loved to land him, but he was never going to college anyway. He knew he was going G-League. We didn't lose him as some are suggesting.

At some point, everyone will calm down and balance out, but the complaining in here has gotten ridiculous. 

Bruce Pearl led us to the Final Four. He's putting some of the best teams we've ever had on the floor. Our recruiting is doing great.

At some point you trust his decisions and support him, the program, and the players who decide to wear the jersey. People are getting too caught up in HS recruiting rankings, transfers, etc..

Just see how it plays out and support the team.

14 hours ago, Dunndone414 said:

Agree. I don’t understand the reaction from some of the usual Auburn basketball Twitter pundits (the general tone has been - he wasn’t going to play much and this is no big deal). Trey would’ve been the 5th best guard recruit we’ve EVER signed. 

Why do you keep associating everything with high school rankings?

He was #70. Not top 10.

I like the underrated players that stand out as much as anyone, but just because he's is a top 75 player doesn't mean he will be a super star.

Every year there are tons of examples of players taking 1-2-3 years to fully develop. Even top 50 guys.

Trey may be great, but if you are comparing his HS stats against HS competition and claiming he is better than a D1 college player because that college player avged 7-10 ppg against D1 competition then you have a ton to learn about basketball, recruiting, and so on. Desi has played at this level. He has trained at this level. He has proven himself at this level.

I wish Trey would have stayed and either proven to have been good enough to take a spot, or been patient enough to get better and then taken a spot.

If Bruce took Desi knowing Trey would leave, then Bruce made that decision.

If Bruce Pearl thought he was a game changer, potential 1st rounded draft talent, he takes him over anyone else and doesn't recruit over him. Clearly he didn't expect him to be that much of a factor this season in comparison to what he thought Desi would bring.

Coach > message board users.

11 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

At least this one was a self inflicted wound. Those other two are still baffling to think about 

Jalen Green was headed to Memphis, not Auburn. He stated so himself. Penny snatched him from us. It was good to be in his top two but he wasn't coming here.

18 minutes ago, cole256 said:

I was afraid that was going to happen....damn

Unless this is the news we're waiting for. 

Jasper avged 15 ppg at a VERY respectable program in Charleston. He is THE guy you want defending the best opposing guard.

If this means Thor's coming back and is a sign Scoot is gonna come in this goes from a damn, to a well someone had to go to make room.

We'll see how it plays out but hopefully this leads to more good news.

1 hour ago, Dunndone414 said:

Alexander is more talented than Sills or Jasper. Hard to find a way to spin this positively, unless he made the decision due to an imminent Scoot reclassification. 

We'll see. Jasper is a way bette defender and we'll have players who can score.

Green, Zep, and Sills are good enough three point shooters and with the 3/4/5 we'll be running with it will open things up a lot more for the guards and those 35%-36% three point shooting averages might jump up a couple more percentage points.

Defense, transition, causing turnovers, etc... While playing a fast pace seems to be what we're going for.

In that regard Trey was the weakest link at guard.

30 minutes ago, Dunndone414 said:

I was pretty happy with #22, for now. Scoot obviously changes everything, but the four SEC teams ranked ahead of us have better backcourts on paper right now. I would take Walker, Jabari and Allen over any other 3/4/5 combo in the league. 

We'll see. 100% agree on the 3/4/5 comment.

1 hour ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

People say this, but we were only expecting this guy to be an off ball catch and shoot shooter, that could dribble a bit. And even with his tough finish, the guy had to be like 70-80% from 3 on catch and shoot shots. He would’ve probably had the best percentage from 3 out of anyone in recent memory 

I have no clue on the 70%-80% mark lol. Like I said, I think with the additional spacing next seasons team will have would have helped his game even more. He was an important piece when Cooper was out for sure. I was on board with him being one of the best players on the team during a good three game stretch. I am anxious to see how he'll do at Tennessee. Whoever takes care of the behind the scenes stuff for him obviously didn't want him here and used Auburn to leverage a new deal which didn't come through for him.

I'm just wondering why Louisville, UK, Xavier, or any other top program that he would have happily gone too didn't offer a 70%-80% catch and shoot 6'5-6'6 stud? Seems like a guy you get at all costs and win championships with. Maybe it was everything outside of those 3-4 games they didn't like?

He avged 3 ppg, on 1-13 shooting (7.6%), 0-6 on three pointers (0%) with 4 turnovers per game during SEC play. The bright spot which I have pointed out before was his rebounding and assist numbers. Outside of those 4 games I have mentioned previously. He avged 5.5 ppg, and went 4-19 (21%) on three balls. My biggest question is this. We give Powell credit for that in a shortened season with his best games coming against South Alabama, Texas Southern, Memphis when they were essentially below avg, and Saint Joes. Yet, people are quick to discredit Green who performed better against that same level on competition?

No one knows what Powell's season would have looked like at the end. He could have gotten better, he could have had a long cold stretch that would have brought down his averages, he could have stayed about the same. It's all speculation but I will take into account the 8 games he wasn't as good over the 4 he was, especially when 3 of those 4 were back to back to back and players can get hot for a 3-4 games stretch.

Anyway, to each their own. I will support the players on our team and look forward to what we have coming up this season.

1 hour ago, Rednilla said:

Well, that's just the thing: I think Powell gave Bruce a different element, when positioned at the 2. There's no doubt that the two incoming transfers fit better with regard to being the small, quick, fast guards who are great ball-handlers, but neither has the size Powell does, and I don't think either is as good from 3-point range as Powell is. I wouldn't be surprised if Trey Alexander is starting at the 2 before the end of the season, and he fits a similar type of mold as Powell did. Green is the one I expect to take Coop's place, and Zep is insurance so we don't run into the same problem next year that we had this past year. If Scoot reclassifies and comes to Auburn, he'll almost certainly start at point, but Green is still the one who fits the same kind of mold as Coop fit into.

I think it'll depend on a few of things.

1. Bruce was very upset with the defensive effort a lot of last season. Zep is one of the best defenders in the country.

2. We didn't have Powell over half the season. The only "good" team he performed against was Memphis and that's before they even got what turned out to be their best player eligible and he was open for about 14 threes if he wanted to take them. While I think he would have been good for us and was an important piece, I'm not sold on a 3-4 game performance. I wish I could have seen more. Not to mention, after two head injuries, will he be the same, what if he gets another? Would that have ended his basketball career? I do think with the team we'll have next season he would have benefitted but he's not here and that's his/his families fault. I wish the kid the best, but I've moved on.

3. Wendell Green has about as many accolades as you can get as a freshman in college basketball. 15.8 ppg, 5 Apg, 3,4 rpg, 1.6 spg. Shot 40% from the floor, 36.4% from three. First team All-OVC and was named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American team. People can judge EKU all they want, but he's a player. I don't know if he'll adjust quickly or if it takes a half a season/full season but he is in my opinion the future.

4. As far as Scoot is concerned, until he reclasses and commits I'm not expecting anything or counting on him. Obviously would love for him to be here lol.

5. I think we'll be able to do a bunch of different things and we will be able to open the floor a lot better as well. Kessler and Jabari inside is going to lead to a lot of offensive boards, spacing, inside out, etc... Also, Trey, Zep, Green, and Flan will have an advantage the guards/wings didn't have last season. Thor (if he comes back) will be better and more experienced, Kessler can shoot it well enough to keep a defense honest when he stretches the floor, and a future lottery pick in Jabari will be here as I stated before as well. The whole dynamic changes. 

Ultimately, we'll see but my argument about this being a top 12 roster is easily justified. If This roster was at Kansas they'd be top 5. If it were Duke's roster they'd be top 5. So on and so forth. I just feel #22 is low. The roster as is, is good right now not counting Thor coming back or picking up Scoot. Top 12. If Scoot comes in and Thor comes back, in my opinion it's top 3-4. Which is why I made the statement that they are undervaluing our new guards. 

3 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

...I don't know that I'd be saying that. Both are probably better at handling the point, but Powell at the 2 would have been pretty awesome to see. Tis too bad he decided to leave.

And I don't know one way or the other about where we'd rank at the moment. If JT comes back and Scoot reclassifies to come to Auburn, then I can't really imagine any team being better on paper, but we'll have to wait with both of them.

Lol allow me to rephrase this. Better in Bruce's system. I think Powell is a very good player but system wise and play style Zep and Green fit better. 

This is them underestimating our new back court. With Coop and Powell we were top 5 predicted and that's without Kessler. Sorry but I think both Zep and Green are better than Powell, and I think they will be fine to replace Cooper. No way on paper this isn't at least a top 12ish roster. 

Wow! What a great get! Kessler made a great choice, and he won't regret it! Let's go!!!!

Nice pick up! I really like his game. Fits in perfectly from what I see with our offense!

45 minutes ago, gr82be said:

It's been said before but there are different reasons a player might want to transfer and how the fan feels about it is irrelevant to them. No player is going to transfer into a situation that they don't feel is better for them. Same as you or me changing jobs. Transfer portal and one and dones are there for the player. It's not there for the fan to be comfortable with. 

Sure, but we all know this season is different. People can try to normalize or white knight this all that want but this isn't a good thing. The free transfer has turned this into free agency. Going to the draft or getting paid to play ball in the G-League or overseas is one thing. This seasons transfer list is another. 

13 minutes ago, toddc said:

I’m one of the people on here that doesn’t watch any b-ball (since the 80’s) but Auburn, and I still know it’s a great thing for our players to go pro at the first chance. It’s great for your program, and it also attracts players who might need to play 2-3 years in a college system like CBP has built before going pro. That’s a system set up  to win a lot of games in the NCAA tournament! Common sense really and doesn’t take a high b-ball IQ to understand it.

I am an Auburn fan who has always watched and supported Auburn basketball. Basketball was my favorite sport for a very long time as I played it for about 20 years and coached off an on for 4-5 years. None of the posts made by people talking about Cooper's weaknesses have been harsh.

If Bruce Pearl is a good coach, and as far as I know the majority of us think he is. He would be able to develop Cooper more and help him strengthen his weaknesses. I personally believe if Cooper could strengthen his weaknesses, he will go higher in the draft after next season. If he is projected as a lottery pick then he should go, if its late first round with a chance to fall to the second he should come back. That is common sense and high b-ball IQ.

The fickleness of the NBA and the rush the young guys in as soon as possible mentality is what leads to the majority of them failing or taking 3-4 years after getting into the NBA to fully develop and get a real shot. A lot of the pros, talking heads, and casual fans of the game will insist going pro is the best route early because they can go "make their money." While everything else comes second to that.

I don't care what Cooper does or doesn't do. It has nothing to do with me or my life. I'll wish him best of luck either way and move on to watch whoever is on the team next season.

2 minutes ago, cole256 said:

I feel the wanting things to go right.....he never was our best player though. That's sort of my point. You guys treat Flannigan like a step child and was so in love with a guy who wasn't as good as him. That's weird.

He was good but very up and down scoring wise.

To me his value was in his three point ability and the threat of his three ball while he was on the court. He also played very hard, rebounded well from the guard position and passed well. Very high IQ player.

He wasn't the best player but he was incredibly valuable.

Just now, ellitor said:

JGT is hearing/thinking Louisville or Xavier as of now.

Louisville or Xavier?

That's 100% a Chris Mack connection on all fronts. I wouldn't be surprised if someone reached out to Powell's family or vice versa when he was feeling lonely and depressed. Mack still has connections there and if he can't get him to Louisville he could've worked his magic to get him a spot at Xavier or something.

I understand his family are Louisville fans, but the fact both schools were brought up makes this very fishy to me. Auburn stayed committed to this kid through thick and thin. Injuries in both high school and after a few college games. The staff and fans supported him. The staff gave him every chance to shine and develop.

I hope more to the story comes out and there was no tampering and that he was truly just home sick, but Xavier isn't home and neither is any other school reaching out. Outside of Louisville or Kentucky the being lonely and wanting to be close to home excuse doesn't fit.

If it's sanctions, possible sanctions, etc.. Louisville doesn't fit. This kind of stuff happens constantly in college sports. It's too easy to access a player or a players family. Outside of this season which is a rebuilding season, the past few seasons Auburn has been one of the most successful basketball programs in the SEC. If Cooper comes back with new additions a lot of people have us preseason top 5. You don't leave that to go play second fiddle in the ACC on a Louisville team that will finish 5th-8th or a Xavier team in a watered down Big East that will probably be 4th at best.

I guess we'll see where it leads. If not, oh well, we'll be fine. 

Big! 

Glad to have him on board!

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

Man, I was really excited for him to be here

Same. I was exciting about him transferring in. Hopefully Coach Harsin can get him locked back in. If not I wish the young man the best of luck.

On 11/7/2020 at 3:46 PM, ellitor said:

 

 

Thanks for the post! We would all be VERY happy if Trey committed here! I like his game, very smooth, and will be a major contributor with his size and talent at the two!

Coach Pearl and the staff are doing amazing on the recruiting front! I love Sage's game. He moves well, finish well, has a soft touch, he blocks efficiently and from what I saw he has a pretty good shot when given time. I really like this commit!

Awesome! 100% awesome! Can't wait to see Smith tear it up here!

Awesome stuff.

We've had a great weekend on the trail!

#WDE

Love it!

He will be a great addition. He adds depth to our lineup, and Coach Pearl will develop him into a great player!