One of Auburn's Class of 2021 signees, shooting guard Trey Alexander, announced via Twitter Thursday that his recruitment "is back open."
It's a little more complicated than that, of course, because he signed with the Tigers in November. Word is that Bruce Pearl has agreed to release Alexander from his signed National Letter of Intent, however, so other schools now are permitted to pursue him. He's from Oklahoma City. The Sooners have a new coach, a new attitude and probably will make the strongest push for him. Sounds good. End of story.
But this story was more complicated than that.
Alexander signed with Auburn firmly believing that he'd be the team's top shooting guard for the 2021-22 season. He heard Pearl and the Tigers' assistants talk about earning your way and competing for the spot, but he was supremely confident. That spot was his.
Then the attrition began. Justin Powell popped into the portal and bounced to Tennessee. Jamal Johnson left for UAB. Javon Franklin is now at South Alabama. Sharife Cooper declared for the NBA Draft and appears dead-set on playing professionally next season.
Alexander's path to playing time was wide open. He was stoked.
Yet Pearl did exactly what you'd expect him to do. His staff combed through the portal a few times each day in search of transfer targets. When an interesting prospect was identified, a scouting report was formulated. If the prospect's report fit the Tigers' needs, one or more coaches reached out to the prospect. That happened with point guard Wendell Green Jr., whom Auburn plucked from Eastern Kentucky. That happened with point guard Zep Jasper, whom Auburn plucked from College of Charleston.
Alexander was fazed. Why is Auburn signing guards right now? Why are these coaches bringing in experienced players to score?
Pearl is paid to win and to help his players become better, more educated men. But it's mostly about winning. As such, Pearl and his staff had a responsibility to fill personnel gaps created by attrition. They cannot — and should not — assume that Alexander is the answer at shooting guard for 2021-22 and beyond. Is he a terrific talent? Absolutely. Will he emerge as a cornerstone player? That's unknown. There are many variables at play. That's the case with almost every single player at every single program in America. Nobody (short of Lebron James) is a sure thing.
Still, Alexander felt slighted in a way. He felt that Auburn's determination to replace the lost guards, to sign so many, was tantamount to a lack of faith in him. It planted seeds of doubt in his head that were magnified by the pressure to play closer to home. After all, he's the No. 1 player in Oklahoma and the Sooners have a new coach (Porter Moser from Loyola-Chicago) and his family, his friends, want him closer to home anyway.
His commitment to playing here had been wavering for some period of time, but the Tigers' decision to add Arkansas transfer Desi Sills earlier this week was the final straw. Sills is a shooting guard. He plays the same position as Alexander. He's got a ton of SEC experience. He's a dogged defender. Alexander was shook.
He'd seen enough. Alexander went to Twitter to announce his new intentions.
It's easy to cast Alexander as a softy who was scared of competition. I'll admit that the idea has been banging around my head today a bit. After calling around and learning more about this situation, I'm not sure that's a fair portrayal. Alexander just wasn't sure anymore. Wasn't sure about himself? Wasn't sure about the staffing situation at Auburn? Wasn't sure about this staff's commitment to him? I'm not sure it matters. Arriving here in June or July without a take-no-prisoners mindset is a disservice to him and a disservice to Auburn.
Pearl wants players to compete every day — whether you're Mustapha Heron or Jabari Smith or Preston Cook. You work hard for everything you get. There is no alternative.
I hope Alexander finds the right spot for him. As for Auburn, it needs another shooter.
He'd better be comfortable competing every single day.
