Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl addressed the media via Zoom on Friday. With fall camp fast approaching, Pearl pointed out four key areas where the Tigers need to make up for lost production from last season.
“We gotta replace Wendell Green, we gotta replace Zep Jasper, we gotta replace Allen Flanigan, and we gotta replace whoever backed up Jaylin Williams last year.”
Pearl mentioned freshmen guard Aden Holloway as the likely replacement for Green.
He called Holloway “a combination of a lot of the guards [Auburn] has had in the past.” Holloway was a McDonald’s All-American in 2022, leading his team to a 36-1 record while averaging 18.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game as a senior.
Auburn’s head coach is high on the former five-star recruit, likening his work ethic to that of former Auburn first-round picks Jabari Smith, Walker Kessler, and Isaac Okoro.
The starting point guard spot is Holloway’s to lose, although Pearl did mention Tre Donaldson as a player who will see some minutes and push Holloway to be better.
Pearl’s next test will be replacing defensive wizard Zep Jasper. While the loss of Jasper will hurt the Tigers defensively, Pearl did note the potential for the team to improve scoring the basketball, where he is opting to give transfer guard Denver Jones a run in the starting five over fan-favorite K.D Johnson, at least for now, due to his high-volume scoring ability.
“Denver Jones could be a candidate for one of our top two or three scorers.”
It’s hard to argue with that statement, Jones was absolutely lethal as a scorer last season. The sophomore guard was one of only 26 players in Division 1 to average at least 20.0 points per game in 2022, helping him become the first-ever FIU Panther to win Conference USA first-team all-conference honors.
Pearl was a little more ambiguous when discussing how he would deploy his front-court options.
He did take time to praise JUCO transfer Chad Baker-Mazara and Division 2 transfer Chaney Johnson, calling Baker-Mazara “really good,” while citing his accomplishments at Northwest Florida State College and San Diego State.
The issue with Baker-Mazara is his size, where he measures 6 feet 7 inches but weighs only 190 pounds. That body type does not bode well for a healthy season, especially in the physical SEC.
As for Johnson, Pearl called him “one of the best athletes on our team,” citing his ability to shoot, guard multiple positions, and dribble the basketball.
Of course, returning Tigers Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams and Dylan Cardwell will see ample minutes in the front court as well.
Pearl still has plenty of time to figure out his final rotation ahead of Auburn’s season opener against Baylor on Nov. 7, but it seems like he at least has an idea of how he would like to deploy his roster ahead of this season.
Fall camp performances and injuries will surely change some things too.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch
Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire
