Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl was lively during Wednesday’s press conference, eulogizing the 2021-22 campaign and giving Tiger fans a glimpse into what the 2022-23 season has in store.
What’s in store is something we heard before. What we heard from Pearl about AU’s performance during postseason play was new.
And vulgar.
Check out what Bruce Pearl had to say about his team’s shooting down the stretch this past season:
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl: "We shot like s--t, so that's something that's got to improve."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) April 6, 2022
Let’s see. 21/69 overall shooting against Texas A&M, with a 9/36 day from beyond the arc in the Tigers’ shocking first-round elimination from the SEC Tournament. Okay, yeah. Bad. We won’t use Pearl’s descriptive language.
Against Miami? In the depressing Round of 32 mauling that sent Auburn to meme hell? 21/69 shooting overall. Familiar. 5/26 shooting? Yea that’s sh…shoddy.
Pearl wasn’t totally down on himself and his team. He recognized that what occurred in 2021-22 was still special for this program:
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl: "If you're a top-25 prospect and you go to one of the bluebloods, you have a better chance of being a McDonald's All-American than at Auburn... But the recognition that Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler got this year was previously unreachable at Auburn."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) April 6, 2022
A hoops foundation for AU has been established on the Plains. Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith are gone, but Yohan Traore and Chance Westry will be replacing them on the frontcourt depth chart. Talent will continue to pour into Auburn from the highest levels of high school ball.
Interestingly enough, though, it is a veteran that Bruce Pearl continues to tout as the future of the program:
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl: "I expect Jaylin to have a dominant role next year, and he's ready. He took one for the team this year. He competed with Jabari, but Jabari was the best player on the floor every single night."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) April 6, 2022
Auburn basketball HC Bruce Pearl wants to build the 2022-23 Tigers around Jaylin Williams.
You know who didn’t have shooting shortcomings against the Hurricanes in Auburn’s Round of 32 elimination game? Jaylin Williams.
Clearly, Pearl wants the frontcourt dominance to carry over into next year. Williams was a starter during the 2020-21 season, and along with Allen Flanigan, is the longest tenured member of the team.
Without Jabari Smith in his way, Williams will have the greenlight to star in the offense with the ball in his hand. The lefty big sounds eager to prove Pearl right.