AUBURN | I understand some don’t appreciate Hugh Freeze’s frankness when he speaks publicly.
We all have certain ideals when it comes to how we view coaches and most of those don’t include them admitting mistakes.
A lot of coaches I’ve covered get angry or defensive or both at even the hint of an error on their part.
But Freeze is not your typical coach and I absolutely appreciate it. I like a coach that will speak openly and honestly about their program — both the good and not so good.
And that’s exactly what Freeze did Monday when he was asked about Auburn’s work in the transfer portal so far.
“Don’t think I have handled it very well, truthfully,” said Freeze.
The Tigers have missed out on some of their top portal targets and Freeze attributed that to him and his staff concentrating on the 2024 class, which signs Wednesday, and not being aggressive enough when it comes to transfers.
Freeze is big on building long-term relationships with recruits, which has made him very good when it comes to landing elite high school prospects. But recruiting out of the portal is a different matter.
“We’ve had many visits set and they never even get to campus and they’ve already decided where they’re going before we ever get to ever get in front of them, which is a bit different for me,” said Freeze. “Maybe I need to change our approach some to that, but before we get really serious with someone, I’d love to get in front of them and have some conversations.”
I’m sure Freeze will make adjustments. That’s what good coaches do and Freeze deserves the opportunity to make some of those mistakes as he builds Auburn back into a national contender.
He’s absolutely right that the only way to do that consistently is through great high school recruiting. But the portal can help too and I expect Freeze and AU will step it up in that area over the coming days and weeks.
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When you have 11 players in the rotation including several that are new or filling new roles, it’s going to take some time to come together as a team.
Such was and is the case with Auburn basketball, but we’re certainly seeing progress. Very good progress.
It starts with Auburn’s point guards, which out-played a more heralded USC backcourt Sunday. Tre Donaldson and Aden Holloway combined for 11 assists and just one turnover.
USC’s entire team accounted for just nine assists.
Denver Jones keeps making big shots. He made a key 3-pointer at the end of the first half and then another in the second half to stop a USC run.
Jaylin Williams picks his moments but can be electric when he gets rolling, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
Johni Broome is a double-double machine but AU proved again against the Trojans that it can win without Broome having a big game.
K.D. Johnson has found an impactful role coming off the bench.
It’s starting to come together for Auburn’s basketball with just under three weeks before conference play begins.
And the best thing is this team still has plenty more room to grow.
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In today’s musical journey, we go back 31 years to the release of one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. On Dec. 15, 1992, Dr. Dre released his debut solo album, The Chronic, which was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” The Chronic included three hit singles: “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 100, “Dre Day,” and “Let Me Ride.” The album helped launch the careers of several other hip hop artists including Snoop Doggy Dogg, who is featured in a number of the singles. Dr. Dre left N.W.A. to pursue a solo career under his own production company. He was able to form Death Row Records along with several partners including Suge Knight and a large investment from Michael Harris, who was in jail at the time under drug and murder charges. Dr. Dre wanted to redefine gangsta rap with The Chronic, making it more mainstream, which he accomplished as it sold over 5.4 million copies in the U.S. His new style of hip hop was called G-funk, which infused 1970’s funk with extensive sampling.
Andre Romell Young was born in Compton, Calif., in 1965. His interest in music started while attending a club named Eve After Dark where he eventually became a DJ. He first started recording demos in a backroom at Eve After Dark and joined his first group, World Class Wreckin’ Cru, in 1985. He formed N.W.A. in 1987 along with Easy-E, Ice Cube and Arabian Prince. DJ Yella and MC Ren joined later that year. Their debut album, Straight Outta Compton, became the first rap album to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016. Dr. Dre stayed with N.W.A. through its 1991 album Niggaz4Life, before leaving to begin his solo career. After the release of The Chronic, Dr. Dre produced Snoop Dogg’s debut album, 1993’s Doggystyle, which became the first debut album to enter the Billboard 200 at No. 1. His collaboration with 2Pac on 1995’s “California Love” gave both artists their first No. 1 single. Dre also had two more No. 1 hits collaborating with other artists in 1996’s “No Diggity” by BLACKstreet and 2009’s “Crack A Bottle” with Eminem and 50 Cent. He’s won seven Grammy Awards including one for Best Rap Solo Performance for “Let Me Ride.” In 2006, Dre co-founded Beats Electronics with Jimmy Irvine, which was sold to Apple in 2014 for $3.4 billion. Dre has an estimated current net worth of $500 million.
