Best Newcomer: Bryce Brown
This was a hard award to decide on since Auburn got great contribution from several new players this season. It came down to Tyler Harris and Bryce Brown for me, with T.J. Dunans and Horace Spencer in the mix.
Ultimately I picked Bryce Brown over Tyler Harris because he came in with less expectations and greatly surpassed what most expected him to accomplish.
Tyler Harris had a great season for the Tigers and was a much needed presence down low, but the graduate student had a few ugly stretches and showed many instances when he wasn’t the best leader on a team that really needed one to step up.
Bryce Brown came in as one of the lower rated recruits in one of Auburn’s best classes in a long time. Bruce Pearl had high praise for Brown from early in the off-season, but I still don’t think anyone expected Bryce Brown to be as good as he was this early in his career.
Personally, I thought Bryce Brown would just be utilized as a spot up shooter and would maybe contribute 5-10 points a game. Instead, Auburn had to deal with plenty of injuries to their guards and Bryce Brown found himself getting much more playing time.
With this increase in playing time, Brown made the most of it on several occasions with outstanding three-point shooting at times. Bryce Brown had his best game when Auburn traveled to Arkansas. Brown made 9 three-pointers on the way to 27 points that led Auburn to a much needed first road win over the Razorbacks.
Hopefully Brown will continue to develop other areas of his game and will continue to improve on defense as well. Brown certainly impressed in his first season for the Tigers and he could be a key player next season, and in the years to come.
Next: Most Improved