As his 7-foot frame towered over a scrum of media — Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner pointing and mentioning to a football recruit, “We need him on the D-line” — 5-star basketball center Walker Kessler listed off the sport’s elite as the programs he’s most strongly considering.
Luckily for Tiger fans, Bruce Pearl’s successes now have Auburn in that upper echelon, alongside traditional powers and blue bloods.
Kessler named Duke, Virginia, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn when asked where his mind has been in terms of a commitment, which he hopes to make in “probably October, maybe November.” Michigan was also on that list until 13-year coach John Beilein took the Cleveland Cavaliers’ gig this offseason.
A rising senior at Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga., Kessler is a family legacy at Georgia as both his father and uncle played basketball for the Bulldogs. He’s not hiding from the fact that he was born and raised in the red and black, but in terms of the effect on his recruitment, Kessler said he’s giving every school an equal shot.
“For sure, I can confirm my family is Georgia,” Kessler said. “… But I’m completely open right now. Definitely. Completely open.”
And after his visit to the Plains for the 10th annual Big Cat Weekend recruiting event, the No. 4 center in the country has Auburn taking a huge step in his recruitment.
“Auburn definitely has a shot, more than anything other school,” Kessler said. “They’re in my top 3, probably because it’s so close to home and the appeal of Coach Pearl.”
Kessler’s infatuation with Pearl and his coaching style amplified this past season as the nation saw the Tigers shoot and defend their way to a magical Final Four run — the first in the program’s history.
“You can really tell all his players play for him,” Kessler said. “It’s all together — camaraderie. That’s why they went so far — because everyone’s playing together.”
Auburn’s emphasis on a 3-point barraging offense — even from the frontcourt players — has Kessler intrigued, as well.
“I mean, you look at all the bigs that shoot — Austin Wiley not really — but everyone else,” Kessler said. “Just the versatility and how you can the bigs in the perimeter, in the post, the high post. It’s appealing.”
Kessler will take “one or two more” official visits before his fall commitment. It doesn’t seem likely Auburn will get one of those, but with his home in Georgia just an hour away — not to mention his family’s lake house at Lake Martin — Kessler said he will likely take a few unofficial visits to the Plains after developing relationships with some of the current players at Big Cat Weekend.
“You look at the recruits that go into Auburn — they’re not 4- or 5-star guys,” Kessler said. “Coach Pearl takes these talented players — I’m not dogging them at all — he takes them and develops them and makes them play together. And that’s how you win.”
Kessler’s stock has exploded over the past year; he didn’t used to be an elite talent. He relates to Pearl’s rag-tag Auburn teams of the past two seasons because, in his words, he used to be “some no-name guy; just a tall, white, skinny guy who can shoot a little bit.”
