Bruce Pearl sent a proud message on the recruiting efforts his Auburn basketball coaching staff put together this past offseason to come away with an underrated class that lacks sizzle but doesn’t lack steak.
“Our transfers were not nearly as heralded, I think, from a recruiting standpoint as I think a lot of transfers were based on coming from Power 5 schools,” Pearl said (h/t Rivals). “I thought our staff did an outstanding job in the evaluation process. We studied the film, we studied them against certain opponents and we made evaluations not based on the name on the front of the jerseys. We made evaluations based on how good we thought they were going to be. I don’t think any of them are going to be disappointing. I think they are all going to be a little better than what they’re perceived or how they’re ranked.”
AU brought in Chaney Johnson out of D2 Huntsville, Denver Jones out of FIU, Addarin Scott out of Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, and Chad Baker-Mazara out of Northwest Florida State College, and San Diego State before that, during the offseason. While the group is light on notoriety, they are not light on praise from the Tigers’ head coach.
Bruce Pearl on 2023-24 Auburn basketball roster: ‘Hardest-working group I’ve had’
Pearl went as far as to say that the 2023-24 Auburn basketball roster was the “hardest-working group” he’s ever had.
“This has been the hardest-working group I’ve had, ever,” Pearl said (h/t Auburnundercover). “This has been the hardest-working group all summer long with the greatest consistency. Normally, you have two or three guys that are working all day, everyday, 24/7 kind of stuff. I’ve got seven or eight guys, maybe six or seven you can absolutely put in that category.”
Pearl isn’t a sugar-coating kind of coach, so hearing this rhetoric at this point in the offseason is beyond encouraging. Considering the imminent debut of the incoming 5-star stick of dynamite scorer, Aden Holloway, and the return of the team’s frontcourt rotation of Jaylin Williams, Johni Broome, and Dylan Cardwell, AU really could be due to party like it’s 2019.