Pearl: 'We’ve got unfinished business'
AUBURN | With a roster as loaded as its been since the late 1990’s, Auburn will enter the 2018-19 season as a defending SEC champion and a favorite to repeat.
But last year’s success and the high expectations for this season aren’t a concern for Bruce Pearl. That’s because the Tigers’ fifth-year head coach knows his players will also enter the season with a big chip on their shoulder.
“Our guys are focused,” Pearl said. “They feel like we’ve got unfinished business and I love going to practice every day and helping these guys get better. We're excited about our team and the state of our program.”
For starters, Pearl can point to a disappointing 31-point loss to Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to end last season, the Tigers’ first NCAA appearance in 15 years.
He’s also got a couple of undersized All-SEC guards in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper that have NBA ambitions after testing the waters earlier this year.
“First off, I talked about Jared and what he's had to overcome,” Pearl said. “I watched him in some NBA workout situations and I've seen him night in and night out. He’s smaller than anybody he goes up against and often times, he wins that position battle. He won it most nights in the SEC and yet, he’s overlooked because he's 5-foot-10.
“Jared and Bryce Brown are the same thing. Bryce Brown has been overlooked his whole career. He's hungry. He feels like he's got unfinished business and neither of those guys got drafted.”
Pearl can also point to two highly-recruited players returning from season-long suspensions in Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, and a transfer that sat out last season in Samir Doughty.
“Austin Wiley didn't play last year and got his eligibility back. He's in good standing,” Pearl said. “He tested the waters and was told he wasn't going to be a first round pick so I think he made a very wise decision to get in the first round next year where I don’t think there's any doubt he can. He's got unfinished business.
“Danjel Purifoy was also ineligible last year. He's got unfinished business. Samir Doughty sat out. You follow what I'm saying. I think there's a lot of guys on our roster that are hungry.”
On down the roster Pearl can go with a team full of players that have every reason to step up their play this season including Malik Dunbar, who averaged 14.1 minutes per game after transferring from a junior college last year, and Anfernee McLemore, who missed the final seven games of the season with a dislocated ankle and broken lower leg.
“Malik Dunbar would like to have a different role on this team,” Pearl said. “Chuma Okeke is now a sophomore and did a phenomenal job and won us a lot of games but now is going to play a more dominant role.
“Anfernee McLemore's best offer besides Auburn were the Ivy League and MIT. He's hungry and got unfinished business. We don't mind stating that.”
Auburn’s roster also includes senior Horace Spencer, who will be fighting for playing time with Wiley and McLemore, and J’Von McCormick who transferred from junior college this summer to fill an important role as Harper’s backup at point guard.
"We're excited about next season. I really like my roster,” Pearl said. “I’ve probably got more frontcourt depth than I've ever had. We've got more traditional size than we've ever had. That could be a positive but that could also be a negative because we've made small ball at Auburn work and I enjoy coaching that way and playing that style.
“I hope to be able to play that way despite the fact that we'll have better size 1-5.”