Jasper, Green form imposing combo at point

AUBURN | For a significant portion of last season, Auburn had a shortage at point guard. Sharife Cooper, the highly touted freshman, appeared in just 12 games. Justin Powell was fine playing point, but a concussion against Texas A&M on Jan. 2 cost him the rest of the season. Allen Flanigan, a natural small forward, played the position for a large part of the season.

Bruce Pearl's team had no point guard able to lead the offense confidently. That's not going to be a problem this upcoming year.

Zep Jasper (College of Charleston) and Wendell Green Jr. (Eastern Kentucky) give the Tigers a potent combination at the point. But, while they play the same position, there are differences between the two.

"They can both shoot it," Pearl said. "Wendell's offense is ahead of his defense … Zep, though, is a dynamic defender."

Devan Cambridge agrees.

"They make each other better, but they're two different players, though," he said. "Zep is more on the defensive side, and Wendell is more of a scorer. But they're both going after it every day. It's good for the team."

Green, Pearl says, was overlooked out of high school because of his size at 5-foot-11, not talent. However, the Auburn coach knows that the sophomore won't shy away from the spotlight in a power conference because of his skill at the high school and AAU levels, playing with and against future pros.

"He's not going to be intimidated by what he's fixing to face," Pearl said. "But it is still a real opportunity for him to be able to answer the bell. You were a dynamic, dominated mid-major point guard. What are you now going to be like every night at a high major level?"

Jasper has proven to be a leader, being voted one of the captains for the Cougars last season. Pearl has already seen the effect he has on the Tigers' defense in practice, raising their game while making life difficult for the ball handler in the backcourt.

"He makes everyone out there defensively better," the coach said.

But what about getting them both valuable minutes and the chance to make an impact? Pearl already has plans to play them simultaneously, something he did with Jared Harper and J'Von McCormick in 2018-19. While it sounds like a formidable plan, there's still a challenge with them learning both positions.

"What makes it difficult is getting whoever it's going to be, most likely Zep, to play point guard and off the ball," Pearl said.

It's a much better problem to have than Pearl faced last season. So expect the names Jasper and Green heard often.