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Bruce Pearl: The journey from Rocky Top to The Plain

Started by jbcarol, February 13, 2014, 12:58:21 pm

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Tomas_Verde/status/747553023942103040

QuoteEntering the third year of his reconstruction project at Auburn, Bruce Pearl believes he will finally see some dividends on the court.

Pearl's Auburn teams have had their moments in each of his first two seasons, but the overall results have been lacking. The Tigers made an improbable run to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in 2015 but finished the year 15-20 overall, including 4-14 in the SEC. Last season, Auburn posted back-to-back wins against then-No. 14 Kentucky and archrival Alabama at home, but the team lost 12 of its final 14 games and finished just 11-20 overall.

Pearl stressed multiple times last season that he wished he could provide Auburn with a more immediate return on its investment in the form of on-court results. That could finally come this upcoming season.

"We've upgraded the recruiting the last couple of years, we've had some good classes, and that's going to start paying off for us on the court," Pearl said Monday during the SEC coaches teleconference.

Auburn's roster has had considerable turnover the last two years, and the team will have to replace a handful of key players from last season's team. Guard Kareem Canty left the team late last season to pursue a professional career, while forwards Cinmeon Bowers, Tyler Harris and Jordon Granger all graduated. Meanwhile, guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen called it a career after having to undergo another shoulder procedure.

"I think one of the things to building a consistent program and building a winner, building a team that can be in the Tournament is bringing guys back," Pearl said. "I've just not been able to bring enough guys back to matter but we're getting closer."

While Auburn returns key contributors from last season like rising senior T.J. Dunans, junior TJ Lang and sophomores Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer, as well as sophomore New Williams, the Tigers will have a very different-looking roster again this season with six new faces joining the fold — seven if you include redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy, who was forced to sit out last season due to eligibility issues.

Auburn added a pair of graduate transfers this offseason in Ronnie Johnson and LaRon Smith, who will be eligible immediately, as well as Presbyterian transfer Desean Murray, who will have to sit out a season. Auburn also brought in three freshmen: guard Jared Harper, forward Anfernee McLemore and five-star guard Mustapha Heron — the first five-star signee in program history.

"Of our top 12 or 13 guys, seven or eight of them are freshmen or sophomores so we've got a very good, young foundation built," Pearl said.

The key will now be figuring out which of those younger players will emerge as leaders to help the Tigers turn things around.

"When coaches lead, we can win games," Pearl said. "When players lead, you can win championships..."
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

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jbcarol

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/JamesCrepea/status/764104549313511424

Quote"He's been the greatest blessing," Jacobs told SiriusXM's College Sports Nation on Thursday. "He is competitor and a winner. He struggled the last couple of years but let me tell you this, if he can't get it done here in men's basketball, then I'm for tearing down the arena and plowing up the ground and planting peas.

"He loves what he does. What he told me, he said, 'Jay if I take the Auburn job you can rest assure of one thing: I'm going to be all-in.' I tell you what, he has been all-in. He's been the best ambassador we've had. Obviously you've seen some recruiting rankings that one had us as No. 1 recruiting class in the nation next year. What he's doing is phenomenal. He has fit in great. He's a northern guy but he has southern culture, he fits in right here with us."

Pearl took over one of the least successful programs in our nation.
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jbcarol

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 12h12 hours ago

Bruce Pearl and Auburn just landed the No. 23 player in Class of 2018 — 4-man E.J. Montgomery. Has 3 Top 75 players committed in '17 class.
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/782016697419042816

QuoteAUBURN, Ala. — At one point in his first practice of his third basketball season at Auburn on Friday evening, Bruce Pearl turned toward former Tigers head coach Sonny Smith, who was observing the action on the sidelines.

"Wouldn't you've loved to have this much athleticism when you were coaching?" Pearl asked Smith.

Smith gave Pearl a confident nod [knowing he had coached Charles Barkley and Chuck Person]. Pearl then turned around to his players and implored them to use all that quickness and length during full-court defensive drills.

Pearl's question to Smith was the main theme of Auburn's first practice of the 2016-17 men's basketball season —
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/RyanABlack/status/781592313340502016

QuoteThe past two seasons, Auburn has combined to go 26-40 overall. But you wouldn't know it by the way the Tigers are recruiting.

For the first time in the history of the program, Auburn signed a consensus five-star prospect in 2016: Mustapha Heron, a freshman guard from Waterbury, Conn. All the Tigers have done since signing Heron is land two more five-star commitments in subsequent classes: 2017 power forward (and Auburn legacy) Austin Wiley and 2018 power forward E.J. Montgomery. In addition to Wiley, the Tigers have a pair of four-star commits — point guard Davion Mitchell and small forward Chuma Okeke — in the 2017 cycle, pushing its class to No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite rankings nationally.

The momentum picked up more steam Thursday, as four-star power forward Jared Jones became Auburn's first commitment for 2019.

But the question is, how are the Tigers doing what they're doing in recruiting? How has Auburn placed itself among the elite of the elite —  Duke and Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina — in nabbing recruits every other team in the country wants despite its recent on-court struggles?

Bruce Pearl, entering his third season as Auburn's coach, said there are multiple reasons for the success he and his staff have had on the recruiting trail.

One is Auburn's proximity to the recruiting hotbed of Atlanta. Another is its academic reputation. And then there's his coaching staff...
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/783839753363918850

QuoteAuburn will have a fresh face at point guard this season as Ronnie Johnson and Jared Harper continue to compete for the starting job.

Harper may only be a freshman, but he's already making waves in preseason practices. He's picking up the scheme quickly and has developed into one of the best shooters on the roster, a major reason he caught the eye of head coach Bruce Pearl.

"I said a long time ago, you guys are going to want to buy tickets to watch him play," Pearl said after Auburn's first fall practice last week. "You're going to want to come to practice and watch him play and go, 'Really?' He's pretty good."

The penultimate promoter
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jbcarol


Jeff jones
‏@Jeffcatwde

@franfraschilla Can Bruce get Auburn into postseason this year?
4:32 PM - 16 Oct 2016


Fran Fraschilla ‏@franfraschilla 15h15 hours ago Des Moines, IA

Fran Fraschilla Retweeted Jeff jones

Yes. Talent base better & on reasonably equal footing with everyone minus UK
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jbcarol

Jerry Tipton ‏@JerryTipton 20h20 hours ago

Pearl: "I have the 2nd best home-court (edge) besides Ky. I have no excuses. If I can't win at Auburn in the next couple years, it's on me."
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/WesleySinor/status/792194310661890048

QuoteBruce Pearl feels there's an excitement around his Auburn men's basketball team this season, but he's also doing his best to temper outside expectations.

"People are excited about our basketball program because they've seen us win some games and have some moments with some challenge for us," Pearl told reporters this week during a fundraising event at Robert Trent Jones Grand National in Opelika. "They know that we now have more talent and more depth."

Pearl, entering his third season on the Plains, says the 2016-17 Tigers are the youngest team he's ever been a part of as a head coach or an assistant coach. The team is made up of seven freshmen, five sophomores, three juniors and four seniors.

Tigers will be undersized — the tallest scholarship players on the roster are Horace Spencer and LaRon Smith, who are both listed at 6-foot-8.

"Our challenges are going to rebounding the basketball, defending physically, playing fast, which is to our strength because of our speed and quickness and depth," Pearl said. "But without ourselves being out of control. Can we make the opponent go fast and out of control without being out of control ourselves? That's going to be our real challenge. We will be getting better throughout the season. That's one thing I know."

Auburn was picked to finish 11th in the SEC this month at SEC Basketball Media Days in Nashville. The Tigers went 15-20 in Pearl's first season on the Plains and 11-20 last season.

"In my locker room, I'm using that as motivation," Pearl said. "But I understand why we're picked 11th... I will tell you what. We've had 10 times more visitors from the NBA this fall than we have in the past because they recognize the young talent that we have. At the same time, they all tell me, 'You are by far the smallest team I've seen in your league.'"
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/794315066778800128

QuoteBruce Pearl plans to play two point guards this season, but true freshman Jared Harper will start when the Tigers begin their season Friday night.

Harper competed against graduate transfer Ronnie Johnson for the starting role during the preseason and though the two possess similar skill sets, Harper established himself as the frontrunner ahead of the Tiger's' exhibition opener against Montevallo.

"I've said that Jared Harper is worth the price of admission. I believe that," Pearl said. "He is a very a smart player. They're both fast and they're both quick and they both can go by and they're both pretty good defenders, so not a lot changes. They can both shoot the perimeter shot, so there's not a lot that changes when one comes out and the other one comes in. But you can see how special Jared is and how special he's going to be."
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/JamesCrepea/status/796406935272771584

Quote6-foot-11, 250-pound center, Austin Wiley headlines an Auburn recruiting class that also features four-star point guard Davion Mitchell and four-star forward Chuma Okeke.

Auburn's 2017 signing class, Bruce Pearl's third since arriving on the Plains, is ranked No. 5 nationally and best in the SEC.

Charles Barkley and Chuck Person were not in the same signing class.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/WesleySinor/status/796802737728065536

Quote"I know it will be exciting and I know this by watching them practice — we look a lot better getting off the bus than we have in a while," Jacobs said. "(Pearl) can start as many as three freshman. Just like he says, they can score, but he's not real sure they can play defense yet because playing defense at this level is different."

Auburn hasn't advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 2003, the longest drought in the SEC. Nevertheless, Jacobs is cautiously optimistic and feels the enthusiasm around the program is "high." He also pointed out that Auburn has sold out of season tickets for the third year in a row under Pearl.

"Bruce is such a competitor," Jacobs said. "They had a scrimmage this past weekend and he felt OK about it, but competitive people like him and like me, sometimes you see the negative better than you see the positive. That's just what makes him who he is. It will be a fun time.

"Bruce's expectations are as high as mine. People are enjoying watching basketball and we'll have a chance to compete for some games and win. Beating Kentucky last year was big for us. Just goes to show he's a great coach and he can win sometimes with less talent than others.

"As (Pearl's) talent begins to build up - like some people are saying we have a great recruiting class," Jacobs said. "We don't know that. I mean they're rated No. 1 in some areas, but until they get on the court and prove it you don't really know. But we're excited about who we have coming in. They're great young men with great character and integrity. It will be real fun to watch."
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jbcarol

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 1h1 hour ago

Auburn freshman Mustapha Heron goes 8-8 from the field & finishes with 24 & 10 in a win over Eastern Kentucky. Tigers head to Cancun at 3-0.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/WesleySinor/status/801231190825041920

QuoteAuburn's in the tournament championship after holding off Texas Tech. Jared Harper goes 1-for-2 in his final trip to the line before LaRon Smith comes up with a big block in the paint in the final seconds as Texas Tech's Aaron Ross attempts to tie the game. The final shot, a long 3-pointer, is no good.
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jbcarol

Michael Carvell ‏@Michael_Carvell 52m52 minutes ago

Auburn basketball: Chalking up Purdue loss as learning lesson, these Tigers different

https://www.seccountry.com/auburn/auburn-basketball-purdue-loss-cancun-bruce-pearl-schedule

QuoteI think Auburn had a good showing in Cancun. However, while youth is this team's biggest strength, it'll also be its biggest weakness. Last night the inexperience showed against a seasoned, battle-tested Purdue team that knew how to weather the Tigers' first half storm and close them out with solid play, suffocating defense and dead-eye shooting down the stretch —
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/803587112272560128

QuoteTexas Tech and Purdue combined to outscore Auburn 95-59 in the second half. While the Boilermakers were blowing the game open after a two-point lead at halftime, Auburn nearly squandered a 15-point lead against the Red Raiders.

"At times we showed how young we are," Pearl said. "There's no denying it. But we were still able to survive Texas Tech's comeback and played even with Purdue for about 28 minutes, or something like that, but I thought our youth showed a little bit. ...

"Disappointed that we didn't play better against Purdue, and certainly got some things exposed, but excited about getting back to work again (Tuesday) night."

Pearl hones on defense and is trying to incorporate more press this season with a deeper squad but until some of the younger players learn to play at the college level it's still a phasing in process.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/808297819215958016

Quote"It's unbelievable that Auburn's never played there," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who is 2-2 in his career at MSG. "We get a chance to play there, so let's go out there and take on the responsibility of representing the SEC, representing Auburn basketball and show them a brand of basketball. Those people know their game. It's like going to Kentucky: They know basketball at Kentucky; they know it. If you show up and you play like a clown and you don't play together - they're not easily impressed.

"They're not easily impressed in the Garden. So, let's go out there and try to impress them."

The mystic and lore of being under the iconic roof of the Garden can be overwhelming.

For multi-game events like tonight's Under Armour Reunion, in which Auburn and Boston College (5:30 p.m. CT, FS1) serve as the opening act before South Carolina and nearby Seton Hall take the floor, the crowd of over 19,000 is split four ways but it is by no means equally dispersed.

Auburn (6-1) will have a sizeable fan presence, having sold over 1,000 tickets and that will be important in a building that traditionally gets behind the underdog, which will likely be Boston College (4-5), when it has no other rooting interest.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/809093643046912000

Quote"Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer will not practice today nor will they play tomorrow," Pearl said. "Unfortunately they were arrested for misdemeanor possession. We're disappointed. They're embarrassed. These are really good kids that have done a lot of really good things and they made a mistake and they are going to pay a price for that mistake."

The news came following Auburn's first-ever appearance in Madison Square Garden

"I'll never take the boys to the Garden again." -- Adolph Rupp
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/brandonsudge/status/814688518094094337

At one point earlier:

Jay G. Tate ‏@JayGTate 17h17 hours ago

GAME THREAD | Mustapha Heron is heating up 🔥🔥; Auburn leads UGA 64-52.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/bmarcello/status/817438924532498432

QuoteAUBURN, Ala. — Auburn has more than 15 games remaining on the schedule, but the Tigers already need to look in the mirror.

Team defense has been atrocious at times this season, and losing the first two SEC games of the season by double digits has opened eyes across the SEC.

"We're clearly at a crossroads early in the season as far as what the future is going to hold," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Is this going to be a postseason team, is this going to be a team that gets better throughout the season? Or is it going to show its youth?"

Auburn ranks 239th in the country in defense (74.3 points per game), which is second-to-last in the SEC, behind only Ole Miss, which the Tigers host Saturday at 5 p.m. CT inside Auburn Arena.

Pearl pointed to the youth in the lineup, which includes four starting freshmen, to Auburn's breakdowns on defense. Pearl also pointed to himself to make a course correction for a team that everyone has figured out how to defend and how to attack offensively. It's up to him to coach these young players and improve them as the SEC slate continues.

"Over a period of time books get written and you get exposed for what you can do," Pearl said. "Then the question is, can you then make the adjustments as either a coach or as a player to be able to, despite of the fact that the scouting report is out there on you, continue to be successful. That's probably where we face ourselves right now."

Simply put, Auburn is at a cross roads as a staff and roster. The Tigers are also not "great" at any one facet of the game, Pearl admitted.

"We're good in a lot of areas, but we don't have that killer dimension to sort of go to," Pearl said.

Changes could be coming to Auburn's lineup, but inserting Anfernee "Penny" McLemore at the four spot on the floor in place of Daniel Purifoy will not be a consideration, Pearl said.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/matthewcstevens/status/817924749154258944

Pearl: "I'm looking at it as I'm 10-5 going to Columbia."

QuoteBruce Pearl is running out of options for this 2016-17 season and it's just the first week in January.

Earlier this week, the Tigers third-year coach blamed youth on its defensive breakdowns in its first two Southeastern Conference losses. On Saturday, it was a veteran group that left Auburn down in an 88-85 loss to Mississippi for the Tigers third straight conference loss. Dating back to last season, Auburn has lost 12 of its last 14 conference games.

It was Auburn veterans and players who freshman forward Anfernee "Penny" McLemore called "team leaders" earlier this week that missed shots, failed on defensive assignments and were outhustled in a second-half collapse that saw Ole Miss recover from an 8-point halftime deficit to put up 55 points in the final 20 minutes.

"Disappointed with the outcome, pleased with the effort and I thought we get better tonight," Pearl said. "Our second-half defense was not as good but I think it has a lot to do with Ole Miss' offense."

Auburn's upperclassmen, which includes Ronnie Johnson, T.J. Dunans, LaRon Smith and TJ Lang, failed to stop this three-game losing skid that has all but erased a solid 10-2 start to non-conference play.
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jbcarol

The mindset of Auburn basketball amid 0-3 start to SEC play

QuoteIf Auburn was at a "crossroads" prior to Saturday's loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers are nearing must-win territory less than two weeks into SEC play.

Auburn (10-5, 0-3 SEC) is off to its worst start in conference play since 2013-14, Tony Barbee's final year as coach, after an 88-85 loss to the Rebels that featured a squandered halftime lead and furious but incomplete attempt at a comeback.

Auburn's effort was clearly better on Saturday even if the result was the same. The Tigers erased a 10-point deficit in the final 3:47 thanks to Jared Harper scoring 16 of the team's final 19 points.

Harper said the team's goals, which include a postseason appearance, remain the same.

"We're just enjoying the process," Harper said. "Everything is not going to be perfect throughout the season. We didn't [sic] we were going to to undefeated. Maybe we didn't think we would go 0-3, but we're accepting that and we're just clearing our minds, going into practice (Sunday) with a clear mind ready to play Missouri."

An 0-3 start is not insurmountable, but a win at Missouri (5-9, 0-2 SEC) on Tuesday (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network) is imperative as Auburn heads to No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 14. A potential 0-5 record in league play would be devastating.
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

David Cloninger ‏@DCTheState 2h2 hours ago

Pearl: "Can't simulate (USC's defense) in practice. Nobody does it."
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jbcarol

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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/finebaum/status/828715979463065602

QuoteTigers routed Alabama 84-64 at home Jan. 21, then went on the road and beat the Crimson Tide 82-77. Both victories came in front of sellout crowds. But in Pearl's view, reporters and pundits have "minimized" the significance those wins.

Bruce Pearl:

"To start four freshmen on the road in Tuscaloosa, to get a sweep against a team that was in fourth place, it shouldn't be minimized. It's funny; I don't read the mainstream media much just because I don't have time, but I've been surprised to see some of it be minimized in some ways. To minimize it is actually a knock against us and Alabama. I don't think either program right now is in a position where, 'Oh, we turned it over a little bit late, they didn't play as well as they liked to throughout,' but it was a good game. It was a sold out environment.

"It's funny, because we want to complain about basketball in Alabama, but we have a sold out environment, and some in the media want to portray it as no big deal. I'm just saying, 'Stop.' It's a big deal. It's a big deal. It wouldn't be a big deal if there was nobody in the building and it didn't matter. I'm not being critical of anybody here. I'm just not. I just think that, I don't want to overdo it, but I also don't want to undersell it. It's not right to undersell it. Our game was sold out here. Their game was sold there. Let's forget about the result: When was the last time Auburn and Alabama sold out that series in the same year? What's the record book on that? It's been a while. Trust me, I'm over it.

"I'm on to Mississippi State and on to our Tuesday night failures the last couple of Tuesdays. I've tried everything on Sundays. We did something different again yesterday, I'm going to do something different today. I got to change defenses or something. I got to do something different to see if we can get this win tomorrow. Thanks."
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/KevinScarbinsky/status/832271495581810688

QuoteScarblog: Pearl should be thrilled about a larger point. His third Auburn team is 16-10, and some people are disappointed. Dissatisfied. On their way to disgusted if the Tigers don't play some second-half defense sometime soon.

Never mind that Auburn hadn't won as many as 16 games in an entire season since 2009 and had only reached that number twice in the previous 13 years. Or that the red-hot Gators beat Kentucky by a larger margin 10 days earlier. Or that Auburn hasn't beaten Florida in the regular season since 1999.

Auburn fans and neutral observers alike now have actual expectations for what has been over time, with rare exceptions, one of the worst programs in the history of SEC basketball.

That's what you call real progress.
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/838905813557260288

QuoteAuburn (18-13, 7-11 SEC) faces Missouri (7-23, 2-16) in the opening round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. [CST] in Nashville.

Pearl says the biggest areas for improvement are defense and rebounding.

-- Pearl thinks it will "take a couple" wins for Auburn to get into the NIT. Not sure about CBI.

-- "This year we've got a very young team that I would imagine is going to be excited about the tournament atmosphere... The hardest game to win is the first one."

-- "For us to be able to win a couple games with a young team would pay great dividends moving forward."
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/839710592436928513

QuotePearl's dreams of a NIT appearance in Year 3 at the helm in Auburn are all but gone. And the coach refused to discuss the possibility of pursuing an appearance in a tournament like the CBI in the moments following a tough 86-83 overtime loss, signaling that this could be the end of the Tigers' basketball season.

"Obviously Missouri is play [sic] for Coach Anderson and playing relaxed, but we had some pressure on us. We were a couple of wins away from going to play in the NIT. I think we let the pressure get to us a little bit."
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jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/839925028477091842

QuoteScarblog: That team that followed a regular season of blown leads and missed opportunities by blowing a lead and missing an opportunity against the worst team in the league?

That team should go home and stay there. That team doesn't deserve to play on. That team hasn't done enough to earn a bid to the NIT, the CBI or the YMCA Invitational.

Or Vegas17?
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jbcarol

 James Crepea‏Verified account @JamesCrepea 9h9 hours ago

Auburn 6-10 vs postseason teams: 0-6 vs NCAA Tourney tms, 3-4 vs NIT, 2-0 CIT, 1-0 CBI
2015-16: 6-11 vs postseason tms 2014-15: 8-14
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jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

Vantage 8 dude

Quote from: jbcarol on February 13, 2014, 12:58:21 pm
Bruce Pearl was always going to be a tough act to follow... Cuonzo Martin started promisingly enough, taking a team missing seven out of the prior year's top ten contributors (and the top three) and embarking on a furious finish to the season, narrowly missing out on an NCAA tournament berth. He even dazzled in recruiting, convincing Memphis-native and seemingly Kentucky-bound five-star recruit Jarnell Stokes to head to Knoxville. But in the first two years of his tenure, every time Tennessee seemed poised to break through, his team instead fell short, often in the most agonizing fashion possible...

... after every hard-fought, disappointing loss, there he is, a saintly presence on the screen: Bruce, Our Once and Future King.

With seven games left on the schedule, does Martin have anything left to change the narrative?

http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2014/2/12/5405894/Tennessee-Vols-basketball-is-it-time-for-Bruce-Pearl-Clay-Travis

Pearl's show cause penalty ends in the summer of 2014.
Not to be too critical, however, IMO perhaps the real headline of this thread should have read something more like "Bruce Pearl: The journey from Rocky Top to just plain" ;) :P 8)

jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/881269094858752000

QuoteAuburn basketball: Going places.

That's been the idea ever since the Tigers hired Bruce Pearl in what looked like perfect timing for both of them, but three years after starting over together, their marriage hasn't translated into a single postseason trip.

It's always felt like just a matter of time, and the time should be now.
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jbcarol

 Jonathan Givony‏Verified account @DraftExpress Jul 7

A half-season in college has really helped Austin Wiley. Body cut up now. Playing significantly harder. Using his length/frame much better.
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jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/889498523607212033

QuoteWiley suffered a stress fracture in his left leg and will be out 4-6 weeks, according to a Monday morning statement from Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

"You know how tough and committed a young man is when he plays through the pain of a stress fracture," said Pearl. "He was receiving treatment while in Egypt, but had no way of knowing the extent of his injury. Doctors say it is in a good spot for healing, and he will be fine."
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/890463553051873280

QuoteAfter a freshman All-SEC campaign last season, Mustapha Heron is looking to improve before the upcoming season after an initial setback from an injury earlier this offseason.

Heron, who ranked ninth in the SEC with 15.2 points and 14th with 6.1 rebounds per game last season, said he had a stress fracture in his left shin that sidelined him during the spring.

"Early in the offseason I had a stress fracture in my (left) shin so that kind of set me back about a month and half," Heron said Wednesday. "I'm still working on coming back from that now. My teammates and coaches are doing a good job of helping me through that."

The injury was previously undisclosed. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said it "developed" and was diagnosed after the season was over but because of its timing, didn't keep Heron from any meaningful team activities early in the spring.

"It was just something that held him out 4-6 weeks, because it was in the spring and we weren't doing a ton," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "But obviously he's doing great (now)."

Heron spent nearly all of Wednesday's practice, Auburn's fourth in preparation for its trip to Italy next month, working with the second-team while Bryce Brown worked as the starting shooting guard.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

 AL.com sports‏Verified account @aldotcomSports 15h15 hours ago

We'll continue to update this:

@AuburnMBB assistant Chuck Person facing 6 federal charges including corruption  https://trib.al/tlyF31z


Quote

By Tom Green

tgreen@al.com

Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person has been charged with corruption in a sworn complaint from the FBI and arrested on federal charges.

Person, who has been on Bruce Pearl's staff at Auburn since 2014, is facing six charges, including bribery conspiracy, solicitation of bribes and gratuities, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and travel act conspiracy, according to court documents. If found guilty, Person could face a maximum of 80 years in prison.

Auburn suspended Person indefinitely and without pay on Tuesday in the wake of the news.

"This morning's news is shocking," the university said in a released statement. "We are saddened, angry and disappointed. We have suspended Coach Person without pay effective immediately. We are committed to playing by the rules, and that's what we expect from our coaches. In the meantime, Auburn is working closely with law enforcement, and we will help them in their investigation in any way we can."

"The picture painted by the charges brought today is not a pretty one," said Joon Kim, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. "Coaches at some of the nation's top programs soliciting and accepting cash bribes. Managers and financial advisers circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes, and employees of one of the world's largest sportswear companies secretly funneling cash to families of high school recruits."

Person is named in the complaint along with Rashan Michel, a Birmingham native whose custom clothing business attracted "hundreds" of clients from the NBA and NFL, according to this 2014 profile. The FBI investigation has also resulted in sworn complaints against Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans, Southern California assistant Tony Bland, Arizona assistant Emmanuel Richardson and Adidas director of marketing James Gatto, as well as several others.

"The nature of the charges brought to light by the federal government are deeply disturbing," NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior. Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust. We learned of these charges this morning and of course will support the ongoing criminal federal investigation."
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

 Jon Rothstein‏Verified account @JonRothstein 13h13 hours ago

Arizona has postponed its team media day --- slated for Wednesday --- and Auburn has cancelled its Wednesday press conference, per release.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

 Kevin Brockway‏ @gatorhoops 21h21 hours ago

Kevin Brockway Retweeted Stephen D. Wadsworth

This does not look good for Auburn basketball. Complaint alleges Person accepted bribe to steer player to agent, then gave player $$$

Stephen D. Wadsworth‏ @SDWesq

If anyone wants to read the Complaint against Chuck Person, you can find it here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/998746/download ...

Mark Schlabach‏Verified account @Mark_Schlabach 20h20 hours ago

The FBI and US attorney's office ran a three-year sting operation in college basketball


Anthony Wireman‏ @awireman 20h20 hours ago

Unfortunately for some, we are getting ready to see the difference between an NCAA investigation and an FBI investigation.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

AL.com sports‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

Auburn president on Chuck Person arrest: 'This was an isolated individual'


QuoteAuburn president Steven Leath said in a statement Tuesday that the university was "saddened, angry and disappointed" in associate head basketball coach Chuck Person in wake of his arrest by the FBI and the allegations leveled against the former Auburn great.

Leath was shocked by the revelation but found relief in the fact that the university was not implicated and is not a target of the investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

"I think it says clearly that they don't think there's some structural problem or some broader problem at the university, that this was an isolated individual," Leath told ESPN. "I don't think anybody else knew. I don't think there's any indication at Auburn that anybody else knew about this."
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net