Sharp-shooting Lang won’t 'shy away from big moments'

AUBURN | When the opportunity presented itself last season, TJ Lang stepped up and made a game-winning shot. Auburn’s top 3-point shooter is hoping for more opportunities this season.

“I just try to stay ready,” Lang said. “I’ve never been the type of guy to shy away from big moments like that. If it comes to me, and I have the opportunity to shoot it and they’re counting on me, I feel confident I’m going to make it every time.”

Lang drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in a 75-74 win over UAB last season. He led the Tigers shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc last year and has continued his sharp-shooting during preseason drills.

In the three preseason scrimmages Auburn has provided statistics for, Lang is shooting 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) from 3-point range. On Saturday, he scored a scrimmage-high 22 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

“If Lang can see it from 3, he can make it,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl immediately after Lang drained a 3-pointer to win a scrimmage earlier this fall.

As Lang enters his junior season, he wants to be more than a 3-point shooter. He’s steadily improved his defense over the last two years and is now working to improve his rebounding and his ability to drive to the basket.

It starts in the weight room where Lang is up to 210 after adding about 30 pounds since arriving at Auburn in 2014.

“I've gotten stronger,” Lang said. “My freshman and sophomore year I was able to get to the rim but I wasn't really able to finish as well because I didn't really have the weight or was able to take as much contact.

“I've been able to gain weight and just make sure I can withstand the season. Gaining weight, my ball-handling, I've been able to get past people, I've been able to shoot more consistently, I've been able to rebound and defend at a higher weight.”

Lang is one of four wing players for two positions. Pearl calls it one of the strengths of this year’s team, which should have 10-11 players in the regular rotation.

“We have so many players who can do so many different things that we don’t have to rely on one person a night to get it done. It’s going to be somebody different every night,” Lang said.

Lang said this year’s team is also closer on and off the court than the previous two.

“I feel like this year we actually have come together,” he said. “There's a lot more team, we're doing a lot of stuff off the court together. We're really close. We're really like brothers this year. It's really refreshing.”