Can a new defense get old results for Auburn basketball?
The Tigers aren't as big, thick or old as their last two top-10 defenses. But the coordinator of those units is now in charge.
Auburn basketball is holding its annual Pro Day on Wednesday afternoon, and we’ll have plenty of Observations from that in your inboxes later in the day — followed by a Nothing But Net, all-basketball podcast for subscribers on Thursday morning.
Before that, though, let’s take a look at an interesting storyline that has developed in the early days of Steven Pearl’s tenure as the Tigers’ head coach.
AUBURN — During his introductory press conference last Wednesday, new Auburn basketball head coach took a moment in an answer to talk directly to the fans.
“As you know — and as some of you probably don’t love — we let our players have a tremendous amount of freedom on the offensive end,” Pearl said. “They take what some of you might call ‘bad shots.’ But we need our players to have that confidence, that we trust them to shoot those shots. That gives them the ability to play their game.
“As long as they hold up their end of the bargain on the defensive end. Right?”
Pearl looked over at his players sitting to the left of him and nodded. KeShawn Murphy, a transfer big man from Mississippi State, let out a big “Yuuuuuuuup.”
“Yup,” Pearl said with a smile. “Alright, Murph. I hear you, babe.”
Even though Auburn went with continuity in promoting Pearl, so much of this upcoming season for the Tigers will still be brand-new. The best head coach in program history has retired. The best player in program history is in the NBA. All but one rotation player from the best team in program history is gone.
This has created a different kind of vibe for a program that is coming off a two-season stretch in which it went 59-14 overall and 28-8 in the SEC. The first week-plus of official practices have had a noticeably elevated level of energy, pace and volume. It’s a younger and faster team — from the top down — with plenty to prove.
And perhaps the biggest difference for the Tigers right now, outside of the change at head coach, has been the offensive and defensive balance in the preseason.
“This year’s team is going to look a little different, because our offense right now is ahead of our defense,” Pearl said. “We’re going to be a team that is going to play really fast. That’s going to get the ball up and down the floor, going to take some crazy shots.
“But we’re not as big or as thick as we were a year ago, so we’re going to play faster.”