The official Auburn basketball program press release about the just-made-official signing of UNC Tar Heels transfer Walker Kessler had some very encouraging Bruce Pearl quotes throughout.
Pearl recognized the long road it took to finally land the Georgia native. The bright lights of Roy Williams’ historic basketball pillar (who the Tigers mauled en route to the Final Four in 2019) came calling last season, and Kessler took the trip to Chap Hill to become a heel.
UNC was bounced by the Badgers from the NCAA tournament’s field of 64 after underperforming in the ACC and mostly stashing Kessler at the end of the bench.
But Pearl channeled his inner Axl Rose, saying all he needed was just a little patience:
"“Sometimes things take time and they are better with patience,” Pearl said. “We were recruiting Walker since he was a sophomore and we were one of the first schools to offer him. The first time we ever laid eyes on him was at our team camp. That was the beginning of our relationship."
Pearl is excited to work with Walker for a Tigers team that plans on featuring him as a centerpiece. The long-time Tiger coach seems likely to make the Kessler family a happy one due to their belief in their highly accomplished, genetically and athletically gifted son.
The former Mr. Basketball award winner was not given much of a chance to prove himself at UNC, and Hubert Davis must not have been able to guarantee as much as an improvement with the Tar Heel experience as desired to continue wearing powdered blue.
Pearl sees himself as an artist to Kessler’s clay…which I assume doesn’t come from chirping it up while the center rides the bench on the Auburn basketball sidelines:
"“One of Walker’s greatest assets is his family with that love and that relationship. We both know the feeling that with our family we can accomplish anything. Kind of like an artist, I’m just excited to get my hands on a piece of clay. He’s a 7-foot-1, stretch 5-man who will be a joy to play call for and utilize as a mismatch.”"
If Pearl plans on utilizing Kessler as a mismatch, then you assume operating out of the post with back-to-the-basket touches is in the forecast for a full Auburn Arena in the not-so-distant future.
That could also mean just having a lineup mismatch in general due to the “stretch 5-man” label.
Either way, Kessler is as big a bounce-back candidate as any in college basketball. He’s closer to home and in a program that values family and relationships.
The long-nurtured Pearl-Kessler relationship has finally resulted in both being key components for the Auburn basketball family in 2021-22.