There have been a lot of times in my life when I have uttered a phrase like, "I'll never live to see the day when…" only to witness the exact event I was so adamantly sure would never happen. I never thought I would live to see the Red Sox actually win the World Series. Remember the curse of the Bambino and no championship since 1918? I've now seen them win four titles. I definitely never thought I would live to see the Cubs win a World Series and, then, 2016 happened. I could spend an hour listing the bizarre cultural phenomena of our day, but I digress. I used to categorize a litany of Auburn basketball accomplishments under the heading, "Things that will never happen in my lifetime." Of course, that was before Bruce Pearl descended into my life like an Angel from above and resuscitated a program long since dead. I don't use that phrase anymore with anything pertaining to basketball on the Plains. I've learned my lesson. There are no glass ceilings. There is no unattainable goal. There are no unrealistic expectations.
Bruce Pearl has been directly responsible for so many first-time plateaus with Auburn basketball and yet another happened last week. Jabari Smith Jr was taken with the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. That is the highest for any player in Tiger history. Granted, most of the credit goes to Smith for his incredible talent and impeccable work ethic, but Pearl recognized his talent at an early age and recruited him to the Plains. Walker Kessler was also taken with the No. 22 pick which marks the first time Auburn has had two players taken in the 1st round of the same NBA draft. This is a tremendous feat and will be used as a powerful recruiting tool in the near future. Historically, the Tigers have had 16 players drafted in the first two rounds. Ten were taken in between 1960 and 2018 and the other six have been in the last four years under Pearl.
To be perfectly honest, I don't watch a lot of NBA basketball these days. I actually lost interest more than a decade ago, but with all the Tigers in the league I may have to reevaluate. Jabari Smith went to the Rockets who stunk last year pretty bad. However, adding Smith, Tari Eason from LSU and Ty Ty Washington from Kentucky will do wonders for their roster. Most pundits believe they had the best draft in the entire league. I believe Jabari will be a better player in the NBA that he was in college. His game is better suited to the professional level. Walker Kessler was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, but immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Again, I know less than nothing about the T-Wolves. I know they made the playoffs this past year and lost in the 1st round. Kessler will be an asset simply for his ability to guard the rim and block shots, but he needs some time to develop his offensive game. If he can do that, he can have a long and productive career. Auburn has won two SEC regular-season titles, one SEC tournament title and made a trip to the Final Four in the last four years. The Jungle is considered one of the best home environments and all of college basketball and the program's reputation continues to be bolstered year after year. I never thought I… Nevermind.
Andy Graham is a regular columnist for The Outlook.
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