Tales from the locker room: Auburn wins SEC Tournament

For the first four years of his Auburn career, Jaylin Williams was winless in the SEC Tournament.

In his fifth and final season, he finally picked up his first SEC Tournament win. And then two days later, he was a champion.

It was a sweet moment for the man who had stuck at Auburn for half a decade.

"Feels good, man," Williams said. "Last couple years, we lost first round, I just feel like – seeing it now, learn from it. Keep working, opportunity is going to come. Stick around at Auburn, don’t hit the portal, do what you have to do. Your family has your back. Your teammates will always have your back. Stick around and great things are going to happen.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Aden Holloway, who is playing his first collegiate season.

Hard to have a better start to his Tournament career than that, and he was soaking it all in.

"We just got a ring," Holloway said. "Especially it being my first year, it’s just crazy to get a ring like that. With how good this team is, it made it really easy for me. It made my job way easier. To get a ring my first year is crazy, I’m super blessed."

Denver Jones has taken a long path to get to where he is now.

Originally from New Market, Ala., Jones grew up watching Auburn basketball, but his career started in junior college before transferring to Florida International.

While Jones was spectacular individually at FIU, his team wasn't as it had a losing record the two seasons he was there.

So when Jones realized that Auburn was going to win the SEC Championship, he couldn't contain his emotions.

"My heart dropped," Jones said. "I was really emotional. Me and Chad were over there crying, and I never cry for real. That was my first time actually like bawling tears, crying.”

Chaney Johnson is another player from the state, as he played at the powerhouse Thompson High School.

His first three years of college ball were spent playing division three ball at Alabama-Huntsville before transferring to Auburn.

From his first visit to the Plains, Johnson could tell this team was special.

"The reason why I came here," Johnson said. "The guys opened me with open arms. Bruce opened me with open arms. Once I got down here it was just like I had been here with these guys for three, four years. The team chemistry on this team is going to push us to be the best we can be."

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Chad Baker-Mazara's path to the Plains is al lengthy one. Baker-Mazara spent three years at three different schools before finally landing in Auburn.

After the celebration, Baker-Mazara, sat on Facetime with tears in his eyes talking to his dad with his all-tournament team trophy in hand.

"Sadly he couldn't make it up here today," Baker-Mazara said. "I was just showing him that I made the All-Tournament team. It was a special moment. I know they're super proud of me and very happy. I just wanted to share a moment with both of them because I miss them."

With about a minute to go, Johni Broome, the tournament MVP, checked out after posting 19 points and 11 rebounds. Before checking out, him and Dylan Cardwell embraced for about 10 seconds before he finally left the court.

Broome has nothing but love for his center partner.

"Dylan’s my guy," Broome said. "I feel like we’re the best fives in the nation and I feel like he doesn’t get appreciation as he should. To me, he should’ve won Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC. People don’t see how much he does for our team and how valuable he is to me. I love that guy."

In 2014, Auburn hired Bruce Pearl to come save a program that was among the worst in power-conference basketball.

Flash forward a decade, not only has Pearl made Auburn relevant, he's now hung four banners in Neville Arena.

All Pearl could do postgame was talk about his team.

"You got to be a servant leader," Pearl said. "Obviously leading by example. The thing they both talked about, I am there before anybody else. But I'm paid to be there before anybody else. They also know that I don't always get it right. They know I make mistakes.

"But I think they know I'm doing to it the best of my ability. I've got to overcome some of the crazy things they do, some of the decisions they make. They got to overcome me, too. We forgive each other."