McLemore continues fast start
AUBURN | It started with a strong summer in the weight room and has continued through the first couple of weeks of preseason practice.
True freshman Anfernee McLemore is off to a fast start at Auburn.
“Anfernee is 6-7, 220 pounds, 225 maybe. He came here about 195 so he's put on about 30,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “It's all muscle. He's just strong. He's a strong kid. Now, he looks like a man out here because we don't have very many big-bodied guys.
“Our frontline is light. A guy like Anfernee will definitely stand out and he's going to be a really good player.”
In Auburn’s first scrimmage of the preseason, McLemore had nine points, a team-high 13 rebounds and one blocked shot. In the second last week, he had 14 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and one blocked shot.
“I'm having a lot of fun out there,” McLemore said. “Bruce Pearl likes a fast tempo kind of offense. Just running up and down the floor and scoring when you can and just playing basketball.”
McLemore was the least heralded of Auburn’s 2016 class, which includes five-star shooting guard Mustapha Heron and four-star point guard Jared Harper.
Heron, for one, knew Auburn found a gem in McLemore, who was rated a three-star out of Worth County in Sylvester, Ga.
“I saw it in AAU last year,” Heron said. “He's gotten a little more athletic but I'm not surprised at all. He's always hard, tough.”
That extra weight has given McLemore a lot of confidence to play inside. He’s been working at the 4 position along with redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy.
“I still feel bouncy but I just feel like I'm bigger and I can be more aggressive without getting pushed around now. I just feel like I have more power coming from my legs when I jump,” McLemore said.
McLemore, who can also help out at the 5 position, wants to fill a simple role in his first season at Auburn.
“Just to be a great defender, rebound, block shots,” he said.
Auburn hosts Montevallo in an exhibition game Nov. 4. The regular season opens at Auburn Arena against North Florida Nov. 11.