Pearl excited about Auburn’s newcomers
AUBURN | The season opener is still two and a half months away and Bruce Pearl and his staff have only spent a limited time with Auburn’s newcomers.
But there’s no question the Tigers’ 10th-year head coach is excited about the five new offseason additions to AU’s roster.
“Our transfers were not nearly as heralded, I think, from a recruiting standpoint as I think a lot of transfers were based on coming from Power 5 schools,” said Pearl. “I thought our staff did an outstanding job in the evaluation process. We studied the film, we studied them against certain opponents and we made evaluations not based on the name on the front of the jerseys. We made evaluations based on how good we thought they were going to be.
“I don’t think any of them are going to be disappointing. I think they are all going to be a little better than what they’re perceived or how they’re ranked.”
Pearl spoke about all five newcomers during a Zoom session with the media Friday morning…
ADEN HOLLOWAY
Key note: Holloway is in a close competition with sophomore Tre Donaldson for the starting point guard position.
“Aden is a combination of a lot of the guards that we’ve had in the past. He probably shoots it as well or better than any of them. He’s got another gear. He’s probably physically a little farther ahead than some of the freshman point guards that we’ve had that have come in and done well.
“That’s what Aden brings to the table. He’s a complete and total gym rat. He is in a great competition with Tre Donaldson. Tre Donaldson comes back to us having finished the season really, really strong. There were times when we were better with Tre on the floor because of how he led, how he distributed, his ability to make open shots. That is a real competition for who’s going to start and who’s going to finish. But because they can both shoot the basketball, they can also play out there on the floor together. That’s where we are at the point guard spot.”
DENVER JONES
Key note: Jones is leading the competition to be Auburn’s starting shooting ‘2’ guard. A video recently posted by Auburn showed Jones making 21 consecutive 3-pointers from the top of the key during a workout.
“I don’t know that we’ll be better defensively there, but we will be better offensively. That’s not a knock on Zep (Jasper). It’s just that Denver Jones could be a candidate for one of our top two or three scorers. Without question. A great shooter with great range. An ability to get downhill and score through contact. He’ll get to the foul line. A good passer. A really solid defender.”
CHAD BAKER-MAZARA
Key note: Baker-Mazara averaged 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range for NWFSU last season.
“Chad’s really good. He was one of the top 100 JUCO players in the country last year. He was ranked No. 30. Went to Northwest Florida State College. Previously to that, he played at San Diego State and Duquesne. At San Diego State, he actually had 18 points in the first half against Creighton. Chad is 6-7. That’s the good news. The bad news is he’s about a buck-85. So he’s a little light in the ass. So we’ve got to continue to get him bigger and stronger. He did a really good job this summer with Coach Damon Davis.
“Chad’s been a beneficiary of that. He can shoot it, he can put it on the floor. He’s got the basketball IQ stuff you can’t teach. That’s what Chad Baker has. Like, he knows how to play. And when you run certain things that require some basketball IQ offensively and defensively, I kind of can put my head down on my pillow at night knowing Chad’s going to make good decisions. He’s going to make good basketball plays. That would be the backcourt as far as the newcomers are concerned.”
CHANEY JOHNSON
Key note: Johnson is pushing Jaylin Williams for the starting power ‘4’ forward position. Both Johnson and Williams have the versatility to also play other positions.
“Chaney Johnson was one of the very best players in Division-II basketball. He has a great story about growing up in Alabama and going to play for John Schulman at Alabama-Huntsville. He shows up 6-2; he's now 6-7. Chaney is one of the best athletes on our team right now. That maybe says we're not athletic enough right now, but he truly is as far as his ability to move, to run and to jump. And also another gym rat as far as being in the gym tirelessly. He's going to have a breakout season.
“He and Jaylin Williams are in a great competition for starting and for playing. Is it possible I could play one of them not at that big guard position, that 4 spot? Yes it is possible. There could be some movement on the roster all over that I think -- we have got guys that can move around. Chaney can move it, put the ball down on the floor and guard multiple positions. We're going to be better at the backup 4 because of Chaney and Jaylin Williams.”
ADDARIN SCOTT
Key note: A junior, Scott was brought in to backup Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell at the center position. Pearl likes his upside and potential to be a much bigger contributor in 2024-25.
“There were a couple guys out there we could have pushed on and maybe loaded up at the position and said, ‘OK, let the best man win.’ We didn't do that; we went with a prospect. We went with Addarin Scott, who's not a highly recruited Power Five guy, but a guy we thought had upside. He can shoot the ball, he can move well. He hasn't physically yet had the advantages of a high-major program.
“I think he's going to provide great depth for us, but also he's a guy that's going to get better really, really fast from Day 1 all the way through to decide who's playing. Addarin Scott is going to improve as much as anybody from August through October. So we're excited about adding him to the roster.”
Auburn opens the season against Baylor Nov. 7 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.