Pearl: 'We’ve clearly upgraded' the point guard position

AUBURN | Bruce Pearl continues to get strong play from his two new point guards.

True freshman Jared Harper and graduate transfer Ronnie Johnson both played well in Wednesday night’s scrimmage.

“They're both really good,” Pearl said. “Jared Harper went on that other team, and they got down 7-0 or whatever that was, and Jared knocked down two 3s late to win it. He's a special player.

“And Ronnie as a senior and as a guy with experience can really defend. He's really tough. He wants to win. Ronnie wants to win. He'll either start, or Jared will start. They're both going to play. They're both quick. I've got quick playmaking, ball-handling guards.”

Harper, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, is already one of Auburn’s best 3-point shooters, is a good on-ball defender and is not afraid to take it to the rim despite his size.

He had 18 points, making 4-of-9 from 3-point range, along with three assists and one steal.

Johnson, who averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds as a junior at Houston, had 14 points, four rebounds, a scrimmage-high seven assists and two steals.

“They’re great. They’re probably two of the fastest point guards I’ve ever seen,” junior TJ Lang said. “Both are really good passers. Both are really good shooters. Jared is probably one of the best off-the-ball-screen shooters I’ve played with.

“Ronnie brings a winning experience. He was at Purdue and he was at Houston. He’s been a point guard for a good amount of years. I feel like we’re going to have two of the best point guards in the league.”

The additions of Harper and Johnson and the increased depth on his team is allowing Pearl to play more of a full-court, pressing style.

“We've clearly upgraded the position,” Pearl said. “Those guys are both real cerebral. They both understand how to play.

“But you can see we're playing 94 feet. We're changing defenses. We're trying to play fast and play faster at the end.”

Other standouts from the scrimmage include Danjel Purifoy, who had a scrimmage-high 22 points and five steals, Anfernee McLemore, who had 14 points and a scrimmage-best 11 rebounds, and LaRon Smith, who had 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks and three steals.