Boom.
The four-letter word Auburn coach Bruce Pearl shared on social media after landing Serbian forward Filip Jovic. Then, pearl secured the final piece of the puzzle for the Tigers backcourt.
On May 28, the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility, Tahaad Pettiford decided return to Auburn basketball for his sophomore season.
Pettiford averaged 11.6 points per game as a freshman and he’s the only returning scholarship player from last year’s roster.
Serving as the sixth man last season, Pettiford’s return makes him the starting guard and Pearl is prepared to expand his role.
“If he came back, there would be more on him. And I think he’s looking forward to that possibility — that I’m going to ask him to do a little bit more, so he can show out a little bit more,” Pearl said.
Pearl waited until the afternoon for Pettiford’s decision, after having one final workout with the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday morning.
Pettiford logged a 42-inch max vertical leap, the second highest at the NBA Draft combine. Despite standing over 6-feet barefoot, the bouncy guard was projected to be picked in the second round.
Another year in the SEC could see him jump into a potential lottery pick.
“He’s ready and he’s been overlooked his whole life because he’s 6-foot tall,” Pearl added. “There aren’t but about four or five teams in the NBA that would even consider taking a point guard under 6-foot-5.”
As the roster currently stands, Pettiford will be joined by incoming freshman Kaden Magwood as the true point guards. Auburn signed guards Kevin Overton, Elyjah Freeman, Abdul Bashir and freshman Simon Walker.
Looking at some of the biggest offseason moves around the conference, reigning national champions Florida is looking to go back-to-back.
With the frontcourt duo of Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh coming back, the Gators also added some key pieces in the backcourt.
Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland both committed to the Gators making them immediate favorites to repeat. Fland was injured in the Razorbacks matchup against the Tigers at Neville Arena last season.
Entering as one of the top guards in the country alongside Pettiford, the final four rematch of Auburn and Florida will be another conference classic in the program’s rivalry.
Officially locking in its blockbuster backcourt, Pettiford will allow the Tigers to stay competitive in what will be another fascinating year of college basketball.
Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at JHumphreyIII@al.com.
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