For the second year in a row, the Auburn Basketball team welcomed in the new season with a fan event called “Pearl Jam."
Named after basketball coach Bruce Pearl, it has already become a staple of basketball tradition here at Auburn.
That being said, this year's event was much different than the Pearl Jam held in 2014.
“This year was definitely more oriented toward hyping up the season and having fun,” said sophomore Reid Stewart. “Versus last year was more oriented toward just getting the students prepared for what a typical student section should do."
The main goal of the evening was to introduce the Auburn fan base to the numerous new faces that will take the court in an Auburn uniform this season, as the Tigers only have seven returning players from last year’s roster.
The festivities of the night included team introductions, a 3-point contest, dunk contest, freshman dance off and an hour-long meet and greet.
First the players, managers and coaches were introduced in front of a large crowd of students and Auburn natives.
Then some of the players and coaches competed in a 3-point shoot out, which ended with coach Todd Golden defeating sophomore guard TJ Lang in the final round. The activities then slowed down, as a few players were contestants in a game where they were tested on how well they knew their teammates.
The objective of the game was to be able to answer a question with the same answer as your partner without helping one another. Team 1 consisted of senior Cinmeon Bowers and freshman Horace Spencer, while Team 2 consisted of freshman Bryce Brown and junior Tahj Shamsid-Deen.
The game ended in a tie as both pairs answered five out of the six questions correctly. The game was a fun way of letting the fans get a look at the players on a personal level. Next up, the freshmen had to pay their dues and “Hit the Quan” in front of the whole crowd, with some help from Aubie. Cole Blackstock, the 6-foot-9 forward from Killen, blew the crowd away with his rendition of the dance.
The first hour was capped off with a highly anticipated dunk contest. The first three contestants all put forth strong performances only to be blown away by New Williams, the 6-foot-2 freshman out of California.
Williams bounced the ball to himself and then performed a between-the-legs windmill dunk, on the first attempt, no less. Williams was rightfully given a perfect score, ending the contest.
The activities then moved to the practice courts, where the players and coaches were available for autographs and pictures. There was also an inflatable obstacle course as well as other games the players were having as much (if not more) fun with than the hundreds of young children there with their families.
The event was seen as a success for the Athletic Department and the students.
The overwhelming buzz from students included exclamations about how fun the event was or about how excited they are for basketball season to finally start back up.
“A lot of students came out to support, which is what we are looking for," said Rachel Doyle, director of marketing for Auburn basketball. "[Pearl Jam] laid a really great foundation for next year."
The team has similar feelings about this year's Pearl Jam.
“It's a great time, a great way to introduce the students to our team,” said associate head coach and Auburn alumnus Chuck Person. ”We have had tremendous public support."
The Tigers are entering this season with high hopes. Pearl has already spoken about his intentions to build the Auburn basketball program to the highest level in the conference.
Although, it seems the buzz is only circling the Plains.
Earlier last week, the Tigers were predicted to finish 10th in the SEC this season, and Pearl began Pearl Jam by exclaiming how disrespected he felt after seeing that prediction.
It seems as though Coach Pearl is rubbing off on his players as well. When junior Kareem Canty was asked about his expectations for this season he answered simply, “Way better than 10th place."
The Tigers have a little bit more motivation heading into their first exhibition against Brevard College on Friday and the rest of the season.
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