Josh Vitale|Montgomery Advertiser
In a lot of cases, a seven-point win over middling Mississippi State to end a 13-14 regular season wouldn’t be much of a reason to celebrate – especially for an Auburn basketball program that won at least 25 games each of the last three years.
But there was a sense of accomplishment inside Auburn Arena on Saturday, and not just because coach Bruce Pearl got his600th career win. The 2020-21 season was challenging for more reasons than everything related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It started with a self-imposed one-year postseason ban and five-star point guard Sharife Cooper being held out for 11 games while the NCAA reviewed his eligibility. Justin Powell missed the last 17 due to a concussion.
And still, despite so many things going wrong, you could see flashes what Auburn could be if things went right.
Maybe theywill next season. The second-youngest team in the nation in terms of experience will be a year older. They’ll get to go through a full offseason training program after last season's plan was canceled. That's one big reason Pearl is optimistic about what the future could hold.
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“We got a lot of stuff to do to become a championship team," Pearl said."But if this team reminds me of four years ago, a little bit, Jared Harper's freshman year? Yeah, it does. That team came back and won the league.”
Here are four more reasons to believe that next season's team could make a similar leap:
The growth of Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams and Devan Cambridge
With so much inexperience on the roster entering the season, Pearl challenged the cream to rise to the top.Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams and Devan Cambridge in particular answered that call. After combining to average just 9.6points per game as end-of-the-rotation contributors last season, Flanigan (14.3), Williams (10.9) and Cambridge (8.9) combined to score 44.2% of the team’s points.
Flanigan became an efficient scorer at all levels, raising his shooting percentage from 39.4% to 45.5% from the floor, 14.3% to 33.8% from 3-point range and 45.9% to 77.6% from the free-throw line. Williams was arguably the team’s most versatile playmaker, ranking second in scoring, third in rebounds and assists, and first in blocked shots. Pearl dubbed Cambridge “our most consistent player in SEC play” after he scored in double figures in 11 of Auburn’s final 16 games. He had at least one steal or one block in 14 of them.
Imagine if freshmen such as JT Thor, Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell can make the same type of improvements in their sophom*ore seasons.
The return of Justin Powell
Powell was actually struggling before he suffered the concussion that ended his freshman season on Jan. 2, averaging only 4.5 points on 18.2% shooting over the final four games he played. But for a while, the former three-star guard looked like a breakout star – he was averaging 16.5 points on 51.6% shooting (50% from 3), 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
And that was while playing out of position at point guard after missing nearly his entire senior season at North Oldham High due to a groin injury. A move back to his natural shooting guard spot after a full and healthy offseason could do wonders.
The additions of Jabari Smith and Trey Alexander
These aren’t just any freshmen. These are Cooper-like freshmen capable of coming in and becoming impact players for the Tigers very soon, if not immediately.
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Trey Alexander, a four-star shooting guard ranked No. 72 in the class, averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals during his junior season at Heritage Hall High in Oklahoma City. And he’s not even the headliner. That would be Jabari Smith, a five-star power forward ranked No. 5 in the country – he’s the highest-rated signee in program history.
The 6-foot-10Tyrone, Georgia, native is averaging 23.4 points on 56% shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per game for Sandy Creek High, which will play for a state championship Friday.
"He can do it all. He can score it, he can defend one through five, he's a great passer, he's an unbelievable rim protector and he has an elite IQ," Smith's high school coach, Jon-Michael Nickerson, said. "Jabari would start for Auburn right now."
The future at point guard
It’s too early to say with 100% certainty who Auburn’s point guard will be next season. Cooper has a decision to make – enter the NBA Draft (he’s widely viewed as a first-round prospect with a chance to be a lottery pick) or return for his sophom*ore season.
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If he leaves, Auburn will likely find an answer elsewhere. The reason Pearl and his staff pieced together a point guard rotation with out-of-position players is because the teamwas designed to be led by Cooper. Finding someone willing to play only 7-10 minutes per game behind a five-star freshman is a tall order.
If the Tigers have to hit the transfer market with an open starting job, they should have their pick of the best available players in the country given the opportunity and the amount of talent surrounding the point guard position. Jamal Johnson proved toward the end of the season that he can be a capable backup.
That’s Plan B, though. Plan A is Cooper returning. If he does, Auburn would be set. Cooper is a star. He averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists despite missing more games than he played this season. He’s only going to get better.
The idea of a Cooper-Flanigan-Thor-Smith-Williams starting lineup with the likes of Johnson, Powell, Alexander, Cambridge and Cardwell coming off the bench should be enough to get any Auburn fan optimistic about the levels the program could reach next season.
“I can see the potential in us,” Johnson said. “This year, we ended it with a bang, so we’re going to grind in the offseason and work and work so we can improve that ranking and finish in the top of the SEC next year.”
Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale. To reach him by email,click here.
