For the Auburn men's basketball team, the semester's first round of tests begins in less than two weeks.
And according to head coach Tony Barbee, the Tigers have been spending extra time in a specific area -- raising their grade in chemistry.
"This group has really bought into sacrificing for the whole and giving up that individual glory," Barbee said after Auburn's season opener, a 109-67 exhibition win against Victory University. "They know that we have enough pieces in [the locker room] that if we will play for each other, a lot of special things can happen for this team."
With eight newcomers entering a program that only won nine games last season, developing solid team chemistry was a challenge for Barbee and his staff in the offseason.
Senior guard Chris Denson feels chemistry was an issue during his first three seasons on The Plains.
"We have had a lot of downs the last three years, and chemistry wasn't strong like it is this year," Denson said after his 21-point performance against Victory. "Three years ago, we weren't hanging out with each other. We really hang out with each other now, and that is a big part of winning."
Barbee said the focus on togetherness started in the summer, when the Tigers went on a preseason exhibition tour of the Bahamas.
"This summer has been really good for us," junior KT Harrell said at the end of the team's tour in August. "As a team we have gotten so much closer. This has been the best summer that I have been a part of as far as camaraderie and how close we have gotten. This trip has helped us a lot."
Harrell, a Montgomery native, was a part of the Auburn program last season after transferring from the University of Virginia. NCAA rules forced him to sit out from active competition last season, but he is widely expected to be a member of Barbee's regular starting lineup this season.
"It felt good to just go out there and do what I do and be a leader offensively," Harrell said. "I am an all-around player; it's not all about scoring. I try and do everything I can to help the team win."
Another newcomer poised to crack the first five is true freshman Tahj Shamsid-Deen. The three-time Georgia state champion got the start at point guard in the exhibition against Victory, but he sat out most of the first half because of early foul trouble.
Although he was disappointed at his lack of time in the opening 20 minutes against the visiting Eagles, Shamsid-Deen bounced back with an 11-point second half performance thanks to help from his teammates.
"I came back in the second half and my teammates kept me in it," Shamsid-Deen said after the win. "They said, 'Don't worry about [the early fouls].' My teammates really responded to me, and I depended on them."
Shamsid-Deen and Auburn's other new point guard, junior college transfer Malcolm Canada, exemplified a team-first mentality, according to Barbee. The two guards combined for 13 assists and only one turnover in the exhibition win.
"(Shamsid-Deen and Canada) are both unselfish," Barbee said. "They can both really pass the ball, and they are both very cerebral players so they know how to take care of the ball -- and they know what I want. You look at their assist-to-turnover numbers, that's unbelievable. We'll take that every night if we can get it."
Barbee said examples of the point guards' unselfish play is a characteristic of the entire team, a unit focused on moving past the struggles that plagued the head coach's three-year Auburn tenure.
"These guys love each other, they care about each other, and they want to see each man do really well," Barbee said. "They are worried about [each other] and are not worried about their own. I think that shows in up in how well we share the ball."
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