MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. — Auburn's Bruce Pearl & Alabama's Nate Oats were two of the 14 SEC Men's Basketball Coaches who took part in this year's SEC Men's Hoops Media Day in Mountain Brook.
SEC Tipoff '23: Auburn brings 'championship mindset' to Media Day
On the flight from Auburn to Birmingham, Bruce Pearl draws on a notepad and tells Wendell Green Jr. about an option of a play call that could yield an open look for a teammate.
In a few minutes, Pearl, Green and Jaylin Williams will ride a shuttle van to the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook to represent Auburn at SEC Tipoff '23, men's basketball media day.
Talking season is here.
Winners of three SEC championships in the past five seasons, reporters predicted the Tigers to finish fourth in the league this season after earning Auburn's first No. 1 ranking last season.
"The key is, are we good enough Sunday (vs. UAB in a closed scrimmage) to win against an opponent?" Pearl said, downplaying the ranking's importance. "From that point forward, are we going to continue to get better? If we do, we've got a chance."
Tasked with replacing two first-round NBA draft picks in Jabari Smith and national defensive player of the year Walker Kessler, Pearl added 6-10 forwards Johni Broome and Yohan Traore to Auburn's experienced roster.
"I don't know how we could do any better," Pearl said. "My coaching staff did a great job. Really good players and prospects, great kids. In my mind it boils down to how much did everybody else improve? That's going to be, in my mind, what's going to make up for not having two first-round draft picks."
Alabama’s Brandon Miller, Jahvon Quinerly Named Preseason Second Team All-SEC
Alabama men's basketball duo, Brandon Miller and Jahvon Quinerly, were each selected to the Southeastern Conference Preseason All-SEC Second Team, the league office announced Wednesday. In addition, the Crimson Tide was picked to finish fifth in the league in voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
Kentucky senior forward Oscar Tshiebwe was the choice of the media for SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Miller and Quinerly were joined on the second team in addition to LSU's KJ Williams, and Tennessee's Josiah-Jordan James and Zakai Ziegler.
First Team All-SEC
Nick Smith Jr. – Arkansas
Colin Castleton – Florida
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Santiago Vescovi – Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brandon Miller – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
KJ Williams – LSU
Josiah-Jordan James – Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler – Tennessee
SEC Player of the Year
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Preseason Media Poll
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- Vanderbilt
- Georgia
- South Carolina