During Auburn’s win over Georgia on Saturday, Anfernee McLemore had one of his better days since his horrific ankle injury last February. And for that reason, he was all smiles after the game.
McLemore grinned ear-to-ear as he crammed his 6-foot-7 frame into a navy blue chair in the Auburn Arena press room. That same build had just helped him notch one of his best all-around games since the injury — 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a season-high 26 minutes on the floor against the Bulldogs.
So, naturally, the first question was about that production. But McLemore wanted to discuss his health — particularly regarding his left ankle.
“My legs were under me,” McLemore said. “I got good recovery after the Ole Miss game. I felt bouncy today, and my leg was feeling good, my ankle was feeling good. I just feel like I could run better.
"I felt really good today. Today was probably one of my best days of the season. I'm feeling good."
Minutes after McLemore left the room, Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl took his seat and answered questions. Unless McLemore and Pearl discussed McLemore’s answers ad nauseum outside the door, Pearl had no way of knowing that his backup center had just disclosed that he felt better than he had all season.
But Pearl knows his players.
“That’s the closest he’s looked to a guy that was first team All-Defense and a key, key player for us a year ago,” Pearl said of McLemore’s performance. “Anfernee gets to do be doing what he’s doing there, and we’re a different club.”
McLemore’s swift return to the court — he was fully cleared to return to practice in late July — is notable in itself, considering the junior told The Athletic in October that after the injury, he “didn’t have a doubt that it would be the end of playing basketball.”
Now, McLemore looks all the part of his 2017-18 self that tied for the conference lead in blocks (73) despite only appearing in 27 games. Against Georgia, he caught lobs from point guard Jared Harper and emphatically swatted shots away from the rim, sending the Auburn Arena crowd into a maniacal frenzy.
"Just doing what he does,” Harper said. “He helps our team be able to make shots, block shots, get on the offensive glass. He took a big charge in the first half that really changed the game."
Pearl desperately needed that production from the Georgia native McLemore on Saturday as his Tigers (12-3, 1-1 SEC) looked to avoid a letdown against the Bulldogs and earn their first SEC win of the season after a road loss to Ole Miss earlier in the week.
After the frontcourt trio of McLemore, Austin Wiley and Horace Spencer combined to go 2-for-12 shooting with 14 total fouls against Ole Miss, the Georgia matchup began with similar foul trouble for Wiley and starting power forward Chuma Okeke.
McLemore stepped up.
“I knew it was important to play solid and play good defensively, because we didn't get off to a great start,” McLemore said. “So when they went out, I knew it was obviously up to me and Horace just to hold down the paint.”
Horace Spencer (0) and Anfernee McLemore (24) celebrate a McLemore dunk during Auburn basketball vs. Georgia on Jan. 12, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
Once McLemore established his rhythm and Wiley returned, the Auburn offense settled in and found balance. After the Tigers made just eight 2-point field goals against Ole Miss, they shot 50 percent from the floor and attempted 22 such shots against the Bulldogs.
Pearl attributes a slice of that offensive flow to the compatibility of his two centers. Although Wiley has started the past four games, a hot-handed McLemore played 12 more minutes than him Saturday — and Auburn scored its most points in conference play since before McLemore’s injury (Feb. 3, 2018, vs. Vanderbilt; 93 points).
“It’s a tremendous advantage as a play-caller,” Pearl said of McLemore and Wiley. “Because you’ve got a run game and a pass game. You’ve got Anfernee that can stretch the defense with the 3-ball, and you’ve got Austin who can get real-man points in the paint and screen and cover somebody else’s horse. We need both.”
Auburn returns to the court Wednesday at Texas A&M (7-7, 1-1 SEC) on ESPNU at 6 p.m. CST.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
