2023-24 Season Practice/Preview (Multiple Threads Merged)

[aubiefifty 16,939]

 

[aubiefifty 16,939]

 

[toddc 13,194]

Auburn basketball had its first scrimmage of the preseason. Here's how the Tigers did

Richard Silva

OPELIKA — After about a week of practice, Auburn basketball had its first scrimmage of the preseason Saturday.

The Tigers, who have five new scholarship players expected to be part of the rotation, combined to drop 88 points in the intrasquad game. The team combined to shoot 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range while also logging 19 assists to 11 turnovers.

"The bad news is we did it against ourselves, which means we couldn't guard anybody," coach Bruce Pearl said Monday at the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic. "I don't know whether to be happy because the offense scored or angry because we didn't make enough defensive plays and didn't show enough speed and athleticism to bother us and bother ourselves.

"Other than that, I like where we're at right now and the position we're in. We've got stuff to do to get ready for the season, but it's been a good start to camp."

CHARLES BARKLEY:NBA legend says Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl is 'the best coach in the SEC'

AUBURN FOOTBALL:One big bright spot from the Tigers loss to Georgia? It was a 'huge' recruiting day

Pearl noted how Auburn had about six or seven players in double-digits from the scrimmage, and Johni Broome was close with nine points himself. Pearl also explained how five-star freshman Aden Holloway, who was ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 18 player in the Class of 2023, "stepped up a little bit."

"His energy level was really good," Pearl said. "But he can make shots. He's got to continue to do a better job to be a better playmaker. Again, what happens is that players should go to their strengths. So I'm going to want Aden to score, because that's what he does well offensively. I want him to improve as a passer, because it'll make us better and make him better.

"When he doesn't pass it, it doesn't have anything to do with him being selfish or not giving the ball up. It's just that he's better shooting it than he is passing it right now. We've got to work on improving that a little bit. Like every freshman, the transition from high school to college, it's all on the defensive end — the physicality of the game and the defense."

[Tiger 8,833]

Super pumped for the season. What I deduce from the article is that our season will have a ton of high scoring games, some frustrating defense, a random clunker game or 2 where we can't hit a shot and our defense continues to give up points, a game or 2 where we are on fire and will run the opponent off the floor unexpectedly, and that our ability to get to the Sweet 16 is on Aden being able to get the whole team involved. Although I feel good about Tre Donaldson being more of a natural passer and good at running our sets, so between the 2 we may be alright. 

Definitely looking forward to seeing what the squad looks like this year! 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,763]

"His energy level was really good," Pearl said. "But he can make shots. He's got to continue to do a better job to be a better playmaker. Again, what happens is that players should go to their strengths. So I'm going to want Aden to score, because that's what he does well offensively. I want him to improve as a passer, because it'll make us better and make him better.

"When he doesn't pass it, it doesn't have anything to do with him being selfish or not giving the ball up. It's just that he's better shooting it than he is passing it right now. We've got to work on improving that a little bit. Like every freshman, the transition from high school to college, it's all on the defensive end — the physicality of the game and the defense."
 

this is a huge part why I expected Tre to still have a good sized role, at least to start with. Your avg point guard nowadays is going to have it much simpler when he looks for his own shot vs others. A smart pass first guy should have a role in just about every program nowadays IMO 

[toddc 13,194]

Tight competition at forward

AUBURN | A starter in all 33 games last season, Jaylin Williams is facing a serious challenge to hold onto his spot with the first team going into his fifth season.

UAH transfer Chaney Johnson is providing a lot of competition at Auburn’s 4 position.

“Right now it’s really close. It’s very close,” said AU coach Bruce Pearl. “Jaylin has had a really good fall. Chaney has had a great summer and fall. But he’s big and strong and athletic and powerful and can shoot it and can defend multiple positions.”

Johnson was a big offseason addition from the portal. (Zach Bland/Auburn athletics)

Williams, who has played in 107 career games at Auburn, describes it more as a friendly and supportive competition with Johnson, who was the 2023 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds last season.

“He's definitely one of the most athletic players I've ever played with … he pushes me in a way that it's not negative. It's so positive,” said Williams. “We'll do a shooting drill. I miss three or four in a row. He's like, ‘Jay, you good. You're the best shooter on the court.’ He just motivates and he's always positive. He's never negative and he's one of the hardest workers.”

Pearl said Johnson has added about 15 pounds since transferring to Auburn this summer. He’s listed 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds on AU’s roster.

“He's a tremendously powerful athlete,” said Pearl. “He has some real strong natural defensive ability. He’s got some real feel … He’s got the athleticism, the size and the explosiveness to be a factor on the defensive end.”

Regardless of who starts, both Williams and Johnson should play plenty of minutes for AU this season. Williams has already demonstrated position flexibility in his career, working at the 5 so they could spend some time on the floor together.

“At the end of the day, whatever happens, he starts, I start, I know either way he's going to push me and I'm going to push him to be the best we possibly could be,” said Williams. “I know it's my last year, but I'm trying to win championships at the end of the day. I can still play 10 more years after this. I'm not trying to over compete for the spot.”

Auburn hosts AUM in an exhibition game Nov. 1. The Tigers open the season against Baylor at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.

[Tiger 8,833]

Jaylin Williams has always seemed like a good team chemistry guy but those quotes going in to his last season at AU with a newcomer nipping at his heels shows quite a bit of maturity and bodes well for team chemistry and the locker room for the season

[mustache eagle 2,416]

This is going to be a fun season.  If we start the season with offense, it’s part of CBP’s DNA to have a team that improves on D as the season goes on.  We may have some stinkers in OOC but hope we dial it in for sec play.

[toddc 13,194]

Aden Holloway's shooting as advertised for Auburn, and 'he just wants to get better'

"He just wants to get better. Aden has got some of that 'it'.’ He's got some special in him.”

Oct 7th, 3:00 AM

There’s a historic level o f talent oozing from Auburn’s freshman point guard. But Aden Holloway will still be met with plenty of competition this preseason.

Bruce Pearl obviously hopes the anticipated arrival of the No. 2 highest-rated recruit in program history serves as a boost for an Auburn point guard spot that’s produced a second team All-SEC pick and an SEC All-Freshman selection over the past three seasons. 

The Tigers will be the youngest they’ve been in a while at point guard, with sophomore Tre Donaldson returning after a streaky finish to his freshman campaign. Donaldson is suddenly more experienced within Pearl’s system than several pieces on Auburn’s 2023-24 roster, though, and he’s giving the freshman phenom Holloway a run for his money through a couple weeks of preseason practices.

“Somebody's gonna start, and somebody's gonna finish,” Pearl said this week. “They both want to start. They both want to finish. The competition is really good.”

Appearing in 32 games as a freshman, Donaldson closed the season strong, shooting 5-for-5 from 3-point range in Auburn’s two NCAA Tournament games, with a combined 17 points. And he’s been able to build off that finish this year, Pearl said. As decorated as Holloway was as an elite recruit, Donaldson hasn’t been far behind him in terms of offensive playmaking thus far.

“Interestingly, you would assume — or, at least, I would assume — that Aden would come in and have an advantage offensively because he's such a great shooter and such a great scorer,” Pearl said. “Both Aden and Tre have done a nice job offensively. It's the defensive side where they've gotta make progress and show me who can get stops, who can keep their man in front, who can make plays defensively, who makes the other four guys better with their defensive transitions. It's a great competition, and obviously, we won't know until four weeks (from now) who will be going out there and who will be coming off the bench.”

The fifth McDonald’s All-American in program history this year, Holloway finished the 2023 cycle rated by 247Sports as the No. 16 overall player in the country and the No. 3 point guard. Only Jabari Smith, who was an All-American then a top-5 NBA draft pick after his lone season on the Plains, has ever joined Auburn basketball as a better-rated prospect.

A highly gifted shooter at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds, Holloway worked to develop his body this offseason, after he was listed at 155 pounds at the start of his senior season at Prolific Prep in California.

And just as Pearl has seen the freshman grow in comfort this offseason with his teammates, he’d also like to see Holloway branch out to some of his other skills beyond his elite shooting touch — which was on full display in the team’s first preseason scrimmage last Saturday. 

“I thought you could see that Aden stepped up a little bit (in the scrimmage); his energy level was really good,” Pearl said. “But he can make shots. He's gotta continue to do a better job to be a better playmaker. Again, what happens is that players should go to their strengths. So I am going to want Aden to score, because that's what he does well offensively. I want him to improve as a passer, because it'll make us better and make him better. 

“When he doesn't pass it, it doesn't have anything to do with him being selfish or not giving the ball up. It's just that he's better shooting it than he is passing it right now.”

Similar to how Auburn has received immense production from its transfer additions in recent seasons under Pearl, some of its most talented high-school prospects have also performed at a high level. But Holloway takes things to another level at the point guard position, where he comes in rated even higher than Sharife Cooper, who spent one season at Auburn then became a second-round draft pick. 

The Tigers haven’t had six draft picks over the last five years by accident, though. The most talented players to wear the orange and blue under Pearl have also been the most relentless, and Holloway is no different. And Pearl knows the freshman is in for some special moments this season, like those before him have enjoyed.

“Just like Jabari or Walker (Kessler) or Isaac (Okoro) or some of the great players that we've had over the last few years, he's one of our hardest workers,” Pearl said of Holloway. “... With the ball in his hands late, the best thing I can do is find a way to get him open and he'll make a shot. And he just wants to get better. Aden has got some of that 'it'.’ He's got some special in him.”

[AUGoo 2,664]

I remember liking how Tre distributed the ball at the end of last season.  And when he started making shots, I thought he brought more the Wendell.  If Aden is such a great shot, I would would wonder if Aden at the two would be a pretty nice line up.

[bigbird 60,580]

I've been told that Tre has really developed as a shooter and is shooting like Aden.  

 

[ellitor 33,114]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

I've been told that Tre has really developed as a shooter and is shooting like Aden.  

 

How's his defense though? That was the main drawback I heard on him being PG1.

[bigbird 60,580]

39 minutes ago, ellitor said:

How's his defense though? That was the main drawback I heard on him being PG1.

This isn't going to be a great defensive team like we're use to seeing. 

[ellitor 33,114]

16 minutes ago, bigbird said:

This isn't going to be a great defensive team like we're use to seeing. 

That's interesting since we heard a number of our transfers are 3 & D guys.

[Dunndone414 469]

If true, the ceiling is higher with a team that is average defensively and elite offensively versus the other way around, imo. 

[bigbird 60,580]

Just now, Dunndone414 said:

If true, the ceiling is higher with a team that is average defensively and elite offensively versus the other way around, imo. 

And this team should be ELITE.  We'll be good defensively but not lock down like we've been in the past with some of our teams. 

[phillyeagle 130]

This team can be great with a top-tier offense and average defense, if they can avoid the turnovers that have plagued Auburn teams in the last few seasons.

[mustache eagle 2,416]

On 10/14/2023 at 8:42 AM, bigbird said:

And this team should be ELITE.  We'll be good defensively but not lock down like we've been in the past with some of our teams. 

CBP teams typically improve defensively during the season so I’m encouraged 

[gravejd 3,272]

I feel like you can teach and get better defensively throughout the season. And while you can make some improvements on the offensive side....in the end if you can't shoot...you can't shoot. So i like what i'm hearing out of this team so far. Broome and Williams will both thrive under the basket if we can get some decent shooting going to stretch teams out. Both of those guys have great moves down low. 

[Auburn93 563]

On 10/14/2023 at 6:11 AM, bigbird said:

I've been told that Tre has really developed as a shooter and is shooting like Aden.  

 

tre reminded me last year of doc robinson. Doc improved greatly over the four years he played.

[bigbird 60,580]

2 hours ago, Auburn93 said:

tre reminded me last year of doc robinson. Doc improved greatly over the four years he played.

That's a pretty good comp, I think

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,763]

On 10/14/2023 at 6:11 AM, bigbird said:

I've been told that Tre has really developed as a shooter and is shooting like Aden.  

 

It fits my bias, but that just makes logical sense if he could’ve figured out how to translate the confidence and form he had in the tournament. Dude was hitting off the dribble, step back 3s like it was nothing. Aden is probably still better at that skill, but Tre showed the flashes 

[bigbird 60,580]

25 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

It fits my bias, but that just makes logical sense if he could’ve figured out how to translate the confidence and form he had in the tournament. Dude was hitting off the dribble, step back 3s like it was nothing. Aden is probably still better at that skill, but Tre showed the flashes 

I honestly think this will be our best 1, 1A since Davion left. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,763]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

I honestly think this will be our best 1, 1A since Davion left. 

I’m just glad someone sees it! I also think those different styles will be a butt for opposing teams. You go from the push the pace, complimentary playmaker for others to a dude who’s an actual scoring dynamo. You won’t be able to take a single minute off on defense with these dudes

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,763]

Speaking of pace, it would be nuts for this team not to be arguably the best transition offense in the conference. They’ll probably be more methodical with Broome as a center point of the offense, but he is a dude that can be a trailing 3 point taker and maker. If you have Tre-Denver-Chaney (?)-Jaylin-Johni, that’s 4 plus athletes and Tre really likes those look ahead passes