Hey everyone.
This has been a tricky week for the Auburn staff because sometimes things work almost too well. And when that happens, one must be aware and diplomatic and just transparent enough to keep things in order.
Here are the principals:
Here we have two excellent, top-tier point guards. They are the top guards on Auburn's 2024 list and have been there for a while.
Pettiford is a multi-threat guy, left-handed, who's probably at his best shooting the ball from 8-20 feet. He has range. He's a fearless, confident shooter. He's also agile and has great body control, which allows him to pop up from anywhere suddenly and maintain good body shape for shooting. He reminds me of Damon Stoudamire, who played at Arizona in the 90s and then played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Philon is an attacker. He's 6-3 (Pettiford is more like 5-11) and overwhelms Alabama high school players with elite explosiveness and elite control on the ball. Teams try to trap him and he just gets away — like Sharife used to do in the Auburn uniform. Philon can split the double or he can pass over it. I'll be honest when I say he reminds me of Ja Morant with the explosiveness and the way he plays knowing he's the baddest MF on the floor. Is he as good as Morant? Man, that's a HIGH BAR. I'm just saying he has that body and that athleticism and that ceiling for sure.
So that's TWO point guards. And you've also got Aden Holloway, himself a 4-star prospect who's signed with Auburn and will be here next season, who has been described to me as "the perfect Auburn point guard."
Pettiford will announce his commitment today. He will pick Auburn unless something very strange happens.
The concern here is that Pettiford's commitment could affect Philon's feelings about Auburn, right? I mean, how many point guards do the Tigers really need? Bruce Pearl and his staff saw the situation well ahead of time. They communicated openly with both Pettiford and Philon and, in an unusual twist, encouraged the two players to talk among themselves. This is a good idea insofar as they know each other and respect each other. During visits last summer, Auburn showed both players the same video demonstrating how the Tigers need BOTH players and how they'll fill different roles. They can thrive together.
Philon will be on the ball. Pettiford will be a combo with a green light to score.
It appears that both players very much appreciated how Auburn handled what could have been a thorny situation. Pettiford is ready to choose. Philon is not revealing his decision today, at least not publicly, but signs very much point to these two top-tier players having already come to an informal agreement to collaborate on the Plains.
Philon is expected to announce his commitment Friday.
The first domino falls this afternoon.
This has been a tricky week for the Auburn staff because sometimes things work almost too well. And when that happens, one must be aware and diplomatic and just transparent enough to keep things in order.
Here are the principals:
Here we have two excellent, top-tier point guards. They are the top guards on Auburn's 2024 list and have been there for a while.
Pettiford is a multi-threat guy, left-handed, who's probably at his best shooting the ball from 8-20 feet. He has range. He's a fearless, confident shooter. He's also agile and has great body control, which allows him to pop up from anywhere suddenly and maintain good body shape for shooting. He reminds me of Damon Stoudamire, who played at Arizona in the 90s and then played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Philon is an attacker. He's 6-3 (Pettiford is more like 5-11) and overwhelms Alabama high school players with elite explosiveness and elite control on the ball. Teams try to trap him and he just gets away — like Sharife used to do in the Auburn uniform. Philon can split the double or he can pass over it. I'll be honest when I say he reminds me of Ja Morant with the explosiveness and the way he plays knowing he's the baddest MF on the floor. Is he as good as Morant? Man, that's a HIGH BAR. I'm just saying he has that body and that athleticism and that ceiling for sure.
So that's TWO point guards. And you've also got Aden Holloway, himself a 4-star prospect who's signed with Auburn and will be here next season, who has been described to me as "the perfect Auburn point guard."
Pettiford will announce his commitment today. He will pick Auburn unless something very strange happens.
The concern here is that Pettiford's commitment could affect Philon's feelings about Auburn, right? I mean, how many point guards do the Tigers really need? Bruce Pearl and his staff saw the situation well ahead of time. They communicated openly with both Pettiford and Philon and, in an unusual twist, encouraged the two players to talk among themselves. This is a good idea insofar as they know each other and respect each other. During visits last summer, Auburn showed both players the same video demonstrating how the Tigers need BOTH players and how they'll fill different roles. They can thrive together.
Philon will be on the ball. Pettiford will be a combo with a green light to score.
It appears that both players very much appreciated how Auburn handled what could have been a thorny situation. Pettiford is ready to choose. Philon is not revealing his decision today, at least not publicly, but signs very much point to these two top-tier players having already come to an informal agreement to collaborate on the Plains.
Philon is expected to announce his commitment Friday.
The first domino falls this afternoon.
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