By james art Auburn returns numerous key players from last season’s Southeastern Conference Tournament championship team, creating high expectations for the 2024-2025 campaign.
However, Bruce Pearl said before the team’s first practice that he knows “less about this team than a lot of the teams I’ve coached.” Key players like Johnny Broome, Chad Baker-Mazzara, Dylan Cardwell and others return, but the Tigers also welcomed two rookies and four transfers.
It produced a roster that Pearl is still learning, but one that’s talented enough to warrant a No. 11 preseason AP ranking.
With the regular season less than a week away, here’s a closer look at Auburn’s roster:
The guards
Players: Fr. Tahaad Pettiford, Sr. JP Pegues, Sr. Denver Jones
Auburn’s backfield will look different this season after losing the likes of Aden Holloway, Tre Donaldson and K.D. Johnson, but Pearl and his staff reloaded in the offseason.
Pettiford and Pegues are the two newcomers, with Pegues transferring from Furman and Pettiford signing as the No. 29 prospect in the country, according to 247Sports. Jones is the lone returner in the group, but is expected to play a slightly different role this season, featuring more as a point guard.
Jones and Pegasus are expected to be the two primary players at point guard and will likely play together. Pearl said he wasn’t originally going to play Pettiford this season, but his early development allowed him to carve out a role in that spot.
While the newcomers bring a lot of excitement, Jones might be the player to watch here. Pearl gave Jones a lot of credit during the preseason for his development in the offseason, and he might be the Tigers’ best defensive guard.
“You can’t sleep on Denver,” Pearl said on the first day of practice. “He’s getting scores down. He’s been our most consistent defensive guard in terms of pretty much carrying it every day.
The wings
Players: Fr. Jackie Howard, sophomore Chris Moore, sophomore Chad Baker-Mazzara, sophomore Myles Kelly
Auburn returns two key contributors on the wing while adding two exciting newcomers in 2024-25.
Baker-Mazzara was a preseason third-team All-SEC selection after a season in which he averaged 10 points per game and shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range. He and Moore started as the starting three for Auburn last season, and both will split playing time with Kelly.
Multiple Auburn players have already called Kelly, who led Georgia Tech in scoring last year, the team’s best shooter. He averaged 13.9 points per game last season and shot 32.1 percent from 3-point range. Those were slight dips from the 2022-2023 season, when Kelly averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range.
Moore started the three-pointer for Auburn in the exhibition against Furman, but played just seven minutes compared to 24 by Baker-Mazara. Kelly did not play in that game due to illness.
While he may not play as big a role as the other three, Howard brings a lot of excitement to the rotation. His athleticism stood out more than anything else, and he had 10 points against Furman.
What the lineups look like going into the season with those three players and what role Howard will play remains to be seen, but Pearl said earlier in the preseason that 10 players will see double-digit minutes.
The big ones
Players: Sr. Johnny Broom Sr. Ja’Haim Hudson Sr. Adaryn Scott Sr. Chaney Johnson Sr. Dylan Cardwell
Auburn’s frontcourt is arguably the team’s strongest unit, led by Broome, a preseason All-American.
Who will play next to him has been one of the stories of the preseason, with Auburn tending to play two big lineups with Cardwell, a move that would put Broome at the top four. That was the starting lineup against Furman, and Pearl explained the selection when he spoke to reporters Thursday.
“We started out that way because I think both guys put themselves in a position to warrant it,” Pearl said. “I can start Cheney in a game and not have it be a factor. So, I think right now we can start this way. We might not always start that way, but I think it also challenges the opponent to guard our guys on the inside.”
Johnson is another player Pearl praised in the preseason for his offseason growth and could have a bigger role this season for the former Alabama-Huntsville transfer.
Hudson will also contribute in the front court, likely as a rotational player. He spent last season at SMU, where he averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X on @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m