States top junior visits
[rl]
Advertisement
AUBURN | Auburn doesn't have the wins to show for it, but there's a different vibe around the Tigers' basketball program.
It's a good vibe.
Tellus Langford can sense it. So can his son, Joshua Langford, the No. 1 player in the state in 2016.
"Coach (Bruce) Pearl has the energy level really high at Auburn," Tellus said. "It's a great environment down at Auburn right now."
The father and son were able to see first-hand on Saturday. They made the trip from Madison, Ala. to attend the Auburn-Ole Miss game.
"It went great," Tellus said. "It was an easy drive, about three-and-a-half hours, and it was a good, close game."
Auburn trailed by five points late in the game, but couldn't cut into the deficit anymore and fell 86-79. The Tigers' loss came in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,121.
It was the Langfords' first time attending a game inside Auburn Arena, and the two weren't disappointed.
"It was a great and exciting environment," Tellus said. "It was a packed house. The kids played hard. I'm sorry to see Auburn came out on the short-end of the stick, but it was still a good, close game."
The Langfords spent time with Pearl and assistant coach Chuck Person while on the visit. The four have developed a good relationship since Pearl first met with the Langfords in September.
"We spoke with them before the game and a little after the game," Tellus said. "They always welcome Joshua. He really enjoyed it. We both did.
"Coach Pearl has the program going in the right direction. He's brought the energy to Auburn and made it a great environment."
Joshua, 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, has offers from programs across the country, including one from Auburn. He has not narrowed his list and doesn't plan to anytime soon, his father said.
Joshua is averaging 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 18 games this season for Madison Academy.
