AUBURN | Despite No. 12 Auburn’s 8-0 start, Bruce Pearl is adamant his team still has a long way to go before the start of conference play Jan. 4 at Mississippi State.
And the Tigers’ sixth-year head coach has targeted one area of his team that has the most room for improvement.
“Our bench needs to continue to develop because that’s the room for the most growth,” Pearl said.
Senior Anfernee McLemore is Auburn’s top player off the bench averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. The rest of the Tigers’ bench consists of sophomore Jamal Johnson, a Memphis transfer who sat out last season, and a large group of newcomers including true freshmen Devan Cambridge and Allen Flanigan.
The Tigers have nine players averaging 11 or more minutes per game.
“We’ve got a lot of inexperience coming off the bench and for us to become a great team, those guys are going to have to get better in a hurry, particularly on the defensive end knowing where they’re supposed to be,” Pearl said. “The only way to do that is through practice and through experiences and see if they’ve got the upside. I believe that they do, but that’s part of the process.”
Johnson is third on the team with 11 made 3-pointers and is shooting a team-best .478 from beyond the arc. Cambridge is averaging 4.4 points off the bench including an array of impressive dunks.
Flanigan has seen his minutes and his production increase over the last six games. After not registering a point in his first two appearances, the Little Rock, Ark., native has averaged 4.3 in the last six including a career-high eight points against Furman last Thursday.
“He was a huge boost off the bench,” said freshman Isaac Okoro, who has started all eight games. “He came in, got his points, got his buckets. That pretty much gave us a run right there. So that was a huge step up for him.”
Flanigan didn’t attempt a 3-pointer against the Paladins, choosing instead to drive into the lane and finish at the rim.
“Getting to the goal is a strong suit for me,” Flanigan said. “I feel like I’m getting better as we keep playing. I feel like it gives me more opportunity, more things to improve on each game I play.”
Auburn returns to action Saturday against St. Louis in the Mike Slive Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. Tip-off at Legacy Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
