AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - While most of the United States was sitting home during the pandemic, Auburn’s basketball staff and players were hard at work preparing for the upcoming season.
On Wednesday, Auburn released the official heights and weights of players for the 2020-2021 season. Those numbers compared to last seasons are mind-boggling giving the fact that the players had limited practice time throughout the summer. Pearl gives credit to his players for maintaining focus throughout the offseason, as well as to their strength and conditioning coach Damon Davis and nutritionist Holly McKee.
“I think it just speaks to the work that coach Damon Davis does, our assistant coaches do. Holly, our nutritionist, and I do think it speaks to the importance of having those guys on campus this summer and getting back to school,” Pearl said.
Official heights and weights for 2020-2021 compared to last season per 247Sports player. profiles:
C Babatunde Akingbola — 6-foot-10, 245 pounds (+9 pounds)
G Devan Cambridge — 6-foot-6, 215 pounds (+25 pounds)
C Dylan Cardwell — 6-foot-11, 250 pounds (+30 pounds)
G Sharife Cooper — 6-foot-1, 180 pounds (+1 inch, +20 pounds)
G Allen Flanigan — 6-foot-6, 215 pounds (+1 inch, +15 pounds)
G Jamal Johnson — 6-foot-4, 195 pounds (no change)
G Tyrell Jones — 6-foot-1, 195 pounds (+25 pounds)
F Chris Moore — 6-foot-6, 240 pounds (+20 pounds)
G Justin Powell — 6-foot-6, 205 pounds (+1 inch, +25 pounds)
F JT Thor — 6-foot-10, 205 pounds (+1 inch, +15 pounds)
F Jaylin Williams — 6-foot-8, 230 pounds (+1 inch)
F Javon Franklin — 6-foot-7, 220 pounds (+2 pounds)
G Lior Berman — 6-foot-4, 215 pounds (+10 pounds)
G Preston Cook, — 6-foot-4, 205 pounds (+5 pounds)
G Chandler Leopard — 6-foot-3, 195 pounds (+10 pounds)
G Chase Maasdorp — 6-foot, 175 pounds (no change)
Last season, especially, Auburn prided their game around defense. Having taller players with lengthy arms makes it harder for defenses to get through. Pearl has targeted guys with size and length on the recruiting trail, as shown by the three players on the roster listed 6’10” and taller for the upcoming season.
“I would think the length is great if we use it," Pearl said. "Blocking shots, deflections, active hands could help us in pressure cause we extend defensively a little bit and could turn some people over a little bit more. Might it lead to some zone that we could play as a more primary defense.
“But if a guy is 6’9 or 6’8 and really long and he closes out with his hands down, he becomes six foot pretty fast. So again playing with those hands up and out away from our bodies is something we’ve been drilling and hope to use as a strength."
Priot to this upcoming season, Pearl brought in the highest rated recruit in Auburn basketball history with Sharife Cooper, afive-star point guard from McEachern High School in Georgia.
“He is a self-made player, he is a grinder, he is a gym rat. Very much like Jared Harper did, he is working really hard to grow that body and he looks differently than he did in high school even right now,” Pearl said.
“He is probably a better interior passer than Jared and he can actually score at the rim making tough twos better than Jared. Jared developed incredible range from three. I think Sharife is going to be close to that, but he’s not there yet."
There is no rush to find who is going to be the first five guys on the court for the first tip-off, but Pearl is having a harder time finding those guys compared to last season.
“I had a much better idea last year at this time who my starting five would be than I do this year. By virtually the fact that I five or six guys last year that were head and shoulders above the rest. That is not the case this year. That could be good news or bad news,” Pearl said.
There is now less than 40 days until opening tip-off in Orlando, Fla., and the competition in practice is starting to heat up on the Plains.
