Let's Watch Bruce Pearl Lip-Sync a Taylor Swift Song in a Wig
Apr 28, 2015
Some things are best left unexplained.
Take this footage of Bruce Pearl lip-syncing a Taylor Swift song, for example.
AL.com's Brandon Marcello spotted footage of the Auburn men's basketball coach donning a wig and fake-singing Swift's pop hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." After watching it, I can confidently say any additional information or context is unnecessary garnish.
This is a 55-year-old man fully invested in delivering the most authentic fake-concert experience possible. This is your moment of Zen:
Pearl loses himself in the music, making the audience believe he will never ever get back together with Auburn women's soccer coach Karen Hoppa, his lip-sync battle opponent. His eyes may have rolled back into his head at one point. It's inspiring.
But if you must know, Pearl's serenade took place at the AUSPYs—an awards ceremony held by the Auburn athletic department at the end of each scholastic year.
Without question, Pearl won everything there was to be won at said event, at least in the lip-syncing category.
Dan is on Twitter. AUSPYs? More like PEARL JAM. I'll see myself out.
Tony Barbee Fired by Auburn Tigers: Latest Details, Comments and Analysis
Mar 12, 2014
Auburn University announced the firing of head men's basketball coach Tony Barbee on Wednesday, less than two hours after the Tigers were eliminated from the SEC tournament by South Carolina.
Barbee, 42, has been the coach at Auburn for each of the last four seasons, compiling a frustrating 48-75 record. The Tigers went 14-16 in 2013-14, including a 6-12 record in the SEC. The team did not have a winning record in any of Barbee's four seasons, with his best campaign being a 15-16 mark in 2010-11.
"After careful evaluation of the last four years, I feel this is best for the program," athletics director Jay Jacobs said.
According to the press release, Barbee was fired immediately after the game at the team hotel. Auburn, which many expected to win against the lowly Gamecocks, shot just 38.1 percent and had as many turnovers as field goals made (16). The Tigers also allowed South Carolina to dominate on the glass and at the free-throw line, making for a situation where Jacobs wanted to move to a new era as quickly as possible.
Auburn senior Allen Payne added his sentiment:
Longtime college basketball writer Andy Glockner theorized that embarrassment played a factor in the quick dismissal:
While the instant nature of the firing could strike some as harsh—the immediacy recalls memories of USC's dispatching of football coach Lane Kiffin—Auburn will now have a slight leg up over other schools looking to make a splash.
It's unclear at this time how much of a financial backing Jacobs has to land a high-profile coach. An up-and-coming power in the 1980s—especially in the immediate departure of Charles Barkley—the Tigers have returned to also-ran status in recent years. They haven't reached the NCAA tournament since 2003 and have been selected just twice in the 21st century.
For now, though, Jacobs talked like someone with big plans for the future.
NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Tony Barbee of the Auburn Tigers reacts as he coaches against the Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Center on December 2, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
"I believe we should compete for championships in men's basketball," Jacobs said. "It's time for somebody else to have a turn. We need to find somebody to come in here and take what we have here now and put some more in and compete for SEC titles."
Names are already starting to trickle in about potential replacements. ESPN's Jeff Goodman reported former Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury plans on reaching out for the position. Stansbury, 54, retired in 2012 following a 14-year run with the Bulldogs. With seven tournament appearances and just two non-winning seasons during his tenure, Stansbury would at least represent an immediate upgrade from the previous regime.
Goodman also noted other potential candidates:
If the Tigers are looking to go younger, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports notes Louisiana Tech's Michael White could receive interest. White was an Ole Miss assistant for eight seasons before taking the Louisiana Tech job in 2011, where he's already built a solid program. The Bulldogs are expected to compete for the automatic berth from Conference USA this season.
Because of the immediacy of the news, it's unlikely any candidate has an overwhelming advantage. Jacobs needs to be diligent in his process and find someone able to recruit athletes and sell them on the program. And it wouldn't hurt to have a little coaching innovation, much in the same way Jacobs took a chance on head football coach Gus Malzahn.
Barbee shouldn't have much issue finding work. He's still a bright young coach who earned this job in 2010 by leading UTEP to back-to-back 20-win seasons and an NCAA championship berth. Athletics directors at small schools who lose their coaches to big-time openings would do well to give Barbee a call. If not, look for Barbee to latch on somewhere as an assistant under a high-profile coach.
College basketball fans know too well the whimsical ways of referee Ted Valentine. That said, it's been a spell since we’ve seen him operating with the gusto he exhibited Wednesday night.
While officiating Auburn’s matchup against South Carolina, Valentine stopped play to do what he does best: send people packing. In this case, the offender was a fan sitting courtside under the South Carolina basket.
Ty Duffy of The Big Lead spotted video of the ejection, and strangely enough, the footage doesn’t include a wild tantrum or argument.
Valentine blew his whistle, pointed to the fan and told him to go to his room.
The fan didn’t put up a fight. He stood up and left—no argument, no wild display of outrage or aggravated embrace.
According to Brandon Marcello of AL.com, the man is question was Michael Hardin, a 41-year-old Auburn fan and former walk-on for the basketball team. Hardin says he and many other fans were upset with the disparity in the foul calls between the two teams.
“I think everybody who was sitting with me was pretty much frustrated with the calls and we had been telling the refs to blow their whistle," Hardin told Marcello.
According to Hardin, the remark that caused the ejection was an innocuous observation directed at Valentine. Hardin says he spoke up to the official after Auburn’s Jordon Granger received an audible slap on the arm while driving to the basket.
“I simply said to him, 'Did you hear that?'” Hardin said. “I said it pretty loud. As soon as I said that [Valentine] turned around [and] he said 'I want him out of here.'”
Marcello notes that eight fouls were called against the Tigers in the second half before the Gamecocks received their first foul.
Auburn guard Chris Denson spoke with Marcello about Hardin’s ejection and expressed his support, saying: “I don’t know what happened but I know that’s my boy, man."
Hardin said he wasn’t surprised by Valentine’s reaction.
“Teddy has a reputation,” Hardin said. “He likes the spotlight, so this was right up his alley.”
Indeed, he does have a flair for making himself the center of things.
Fortunately for Hardin, his encounter with Valentine was minimally handsy.
He left his seat but was able watch the rest of the game from an adjacent section higher up in the stadium—far away from Valentine’s trigger-happy gesticulations.
The SEC has yet to comment on Valentine's decision to toss a fan. Ejecting paying customers isn't common for a reason, and fans usually have to be unruly and irresponsible to warrant removal from the arena.
Granted, we've only heard Hardin's side of the story, but judging by the video, there seems to be a lack of the demonstrative vitriol that would warrant an ejection. A likely scenario that could play out is the SEC reprimanding Valentine in a statement and moving on.
They might send him to his room for a day, but no one is going to take away Ted's television privileges.
You never know what you’ll get when you tune in for some Ted TV.
Auburn Basketball: Is It Time to Buy Stock in the 2013 Auburn Team?
Jan 13, 2013
For the first time in a decade, the Auburn basketball team is off to a 2-0 start in SEC play after it beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 74-71 in Columbia, SC. The Tigers are 8-7 overall.
The last Auburn team to get off to a 2-0 start in SEC play was the 2002-2003 team. That team, coached by Cliff Ellis, featured Auburn basketball greats Marquis Daniels and Marco Killingsworth. It ended the season 22-12 and lost to eventual national champion Syracuse in the Sweet 16, 79-78.
So is it time to buy stock in the 2012-2013 roundball version of the Tigers?
If you're asking if you should buy, sell or hold, you should hold. There are as many reasons to take a wait-and-see approach as there are to be giddy about the 2-0 start.
After a shaky start that saw losses to the likes of Dayton, Rhode Island and Winthrop, Auburn has gained some momentum in recent weeks.
It lost a close game to then No. 15 Illinois, defeated Florida State, beat LSU and then defeated the Gamecocks on Saturday. The Tigers have played well despite losing two of its biggest scoring threats in Chris Denson and Jordan Price to stress fractures.
Denson and Price were averaging 15.2 and 7.2 points per game, respectively before suffering the injuries that will keep them off the hardwood for four to five weeks. In their absence, Allen Payne and others have stepped up to take some of the pressure off Auburn's best scorer, Frankie Sullivan.
Payne has scored 50 points in the last three games. In the three games before that, Payne only scored a combined 33 points.
The highly touted 2012 recruiting class is finally starting to come into its own. The class assembled by head coach Tony Barbee was, by most accounts, the largest influx of talent for Auburn in some time.
Shaquille Johnson, the high-flying freshman guard, followed up a near double-double against LSU with five points in 13 minutes in his first game on the road in conference play.
G Brian Greene Jr. had ice in his veins at times against the Gamecocks. He was perfect from the field (6-of-6) and finished with a career-high 14 points.
Fr Brian Greene Jr. has been huge for #Auburn down the stretch, scoring 5 of past 7 points. He entered averaging 1.8 per game, has 14 today.
C Rob Chubb is starting to turn into a more consistent player, specifically on the offensive and defensive boards. Chubb earned a double-double against South Carolina, gathering in 10 rebounds.
"It was huge," Barbee said to Joel Erickson of al.com. "I just wish I had more guys joining him on that rebounding stat."
Chubb has had at least eight rebounds in the last three games.
On the defensive side of the ball, Auburn has played very physical and solid fundamental defense. The Tigers defense does a good job of pushing the opposing offense away from the basket and forcing more outside shots.
As was mentioned, there is reason to take a wait-and-see approach with the Tigers' 2-0 SEC start on the hardwood.
Auburn committed 15 turnovers on Saturday.
Prior to the game against South Carolina, Auburn ranked No. 205 (out of 345 teams) in the nation in turnovers per game. The Tigers have a tendency to try and move a little too fast at times, which results in turnovers. If it weren't for Auburn's 58.5 percent shooting from the field, Saturday's result would have been much different.
Auburn was averaging 42.3 percent shooting going into Saturday's game.
While a 2-0 start is nice and commendable, it should be noted that Auburn's wins in conference have come against two teams in LSU and South Carolina that have first-year head coaches. Both conference foes got off to a very good start and a misleading record due to a very weak nonconference schedule.
We will know a lot more about Auburn this time next week.
Auburn is at Arkansas on Wednesday, and national champion Kentucky visits the Plains next Saturday in what is sure to be a packed Auburn Arena. Kentucky is not playing to the level it was last year, but the Wildcats are always a good measuring stick of where a basketball team is.
The intangibles are there for Auburn.
The Tigers are winning a lot of "50-50" balls and playing hard from start to finish. If Auburn can continue this momentum swing for the next seven days, it may be time to buy some stock in Barbee's team for the first time in his three years at the helm.
For now, it is better to hold and let this team prove a little more to an Auburn fanbase that is hungry for some quality basketball to return to the Loveliest Village for the first time in a decade.
Auburn Basketball: 2013 Point Guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen Picks the Tigers
Sep 13, 2012
Tahj Shamsid-Deen, a 5'10" point guard from Decatur, Georgia, committed to the Auburn Tigers Thursday. Shamsid-Deen is the Tigers' first commitment for the 2013 class.
Shamsid-Deen is ranked the 46th-best point guard in the 2013 class according to ESPN.com. He had offers from Connecticut, Butler, Richmond, Auburn and Northwestern. He also had interest from Kentucky, Tennessee and several other Division I schools.
The 3-star point guard averaged 15 points and ten rebounds as a junior last year at Columbia High School. He has helped Columbia win back-to-back-to-back AAA state championships. He has been named the Georgia state tournament M.V.P. the past two years.
Shamsid-Deen also holds the Georgia all-time assists record.
Future150.com says of Shamsid-Deen, "Shamsid-Deen has a nice lefty stroke, especially for his lack of size. He thrives in transition and can get to the basket or make things happen for others, something all people are looking for in a PG. He has a great mid-range game, complemented by a nice floater to avoid blocked shots."
"Tahj won his middle school championship and has won three state titles," Tahj's father Vince Shamsid-Deen told AuburnSports.com. "So he's never lost, that had to be taken into consideration when coming to Auburn. We trust the coaches as far as putting the right personnel on the floor."
The Tigers are not only getting a quick point guard, they are also getting a terrific student. Shamsid-Deen is an honor student with a 3.9 grade point average. He got a 1580 on his SAT.
Auburn has been hitting the recruiting trail hard for a point guard for their 2013 class. Head coach Tony Barbee will now shift his focus to picking up a strong power forward.
Auburn Basketball: Two Players Dismissed, One Suspended Indefinitely
Apr 27, 2012
The offseason took another hard hit for Auburn's basketball program Friday afternoon when head coach Tony Barbee announced sophomore guard Josh Langford and freshman guard Cedric McAfee were dismissed from the team. Junior guard Noel Johnson has also been suspended indefinitely.
After Langford returned to the team after being suspended for team violation at the beginning of the 2011-12 season, averaged 5.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games, including five starts.
Johnson transferred from Clemson and began playing last December when he became eligible. He played in 19 games, starting three, while fighting a wrist injury. Johnson averaged 2.1 points and shot only 25 percent from the field.
It was reported this afternoon that McAfee was leaving the team on his on terms, said a source close to McAfee.
However, that was not the case.
McAfee, who took a medical redshirt last night, only played in three games.
With the two players dismissed from the team, Varez Ward currently not with the team and Willy Kouassi and Benard Morena transferring out, Denson is the only Barbee signee left from last season that's still on the team.
There are also only five scholarship players on the team from last year. Barbee has signed five players and accepted one transfer, who will be eligible in the 2012-13 season.
Auburn Basketball News: KT Harrell to Transfer from Virginia
Mar 27, 2012
Reports were released Tuesday afternoon that Virginia shooting guard KT Harrell will transfer to Auburn, but he will not be eligible to play until the 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
After playing 31 games his freshman year for the Cavaliers, starting in 15 of them, Harrell left the team in December because of lack of playing time.
After numerous visits to the Plains, Harrell made his decision Monday to play for head coach Tony Barbee.
During his freshman year, Harrell averaged 8.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, shooting 42.3 percent from the field, including 42.1 percent from 3-point range (24-of-57).
After forward Willy Kouassi and guard Bernard Morena were given full release to transfer last week, Auburn had one available scholarship remaining, assuming guard Varez Ward will not return to the team after the conclusion of the federal case of point-shaving.
Harrell, who is 6-foot-4, 204 pounds, will be playing for an Alabama school for the first time since being named the 2010 Class 4A Player of the Year his senior season for Brewbaker Tech Magnet High School.
He was also named the Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year, and was ranked in the top 100 nationally by Rivals, Scout and ESPN.
Auburn Basketball: Willy Kouassi and Bernard Morena to Transfer
Mar 19, 2012
Reports have been released that freshmen Willy Kouassi and Bernard Morena were granted full release from the Auburn basketball team and are expected to transfer.
Kouassi, who spent most of the season on the bench playing behind centers Rob Chubb and Adrian Forbes, averaged 1.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 25 games this year.
He received more playing time down the stretch of SEC play, mainly because of his work ethic, which head coach Tony Barbee complimented throughout the season.
However, being relatively new to the game, Barbee also called Kouassi a "blank canvas" several games into the season.
Morena, who was injured before the season started, took a redshirt this past season and will have four years of college eligibility left.
Both players are native to the Ivory Coast and played together in high school at Central Park Christian in Birmingham.
With five signees joining the team next fall and only three seniors leaving, the departure of Kouassi and Morena isn't overly surprising.
Guard Varez Ward, who is currently under investigation by the FBI for point shaving, is not expected to return to the team, which will leave one scholarship open.
Auburn Basketball: In-Depth Look at Varez Ward Investigation
Mar 9, 2012
After Yahoo! Sports broke the news Thursday afternoon that the NCAA and FBI are investigating Auburn guard Varez Ward for point-shaving, not much more information has been released.
In addition to jokes referring about Auburn struggling to score points this season—averaging 62.6 per conference game—if found guilty, Ward would possibly face jail time.
While most people may not think a player averaging only nine points a game can play a major role alone in a case like the one that is alleged, fans who watched the Alabama game can make an easy connection.
Taking a closer look at Ward's performance in the two games being investigated and the three games between those two, there is clear inconsistency.
Ward was injured within the first minute of the game at Arkansas on Jan. 25.
The game before, a victory against South Carolina, Ward scored eight points off the bench.
While attempting to get open for an inbounds pass, Ward and Arkansas guard Michael Sanchez collided, with Sanchez's knee driving into Ward's thigh.
Initially, the injury did not seem too bad. However, Ward lay on the foul for over a minute before play stopped to assist him off the court.
Ward did not return during the 56-53 defeat. Auburn covered the nine-point spread.
Over the next three games—a 64-49 loss to Tennessee, a 59-51 win against Georgia and a 91-88 loss at Mississippi State—Ward played 87 minutes off the bench.
Against Tennessee, Ward scored 12 points, while committing only one turnover. Ward scored 17 points while again only committing one turnover against Georgia. Against Mississippi State, Ward scored a career-high 24 points with only one turnover.
During the three-game stretch, Ward also shot 84 percent (27-of-32) from the free-throw line, featuring a perfect 12-of-12 against Georgia.
As Alabama took the court at Auburn Arena on Feb. 7, the honeymoon ended.
Ward scored three points in 17 minutes while turning the ball over six times. He also shot 50 percent from the line.
Despite his stat line not sounding overly bad, witnessing the performance was atrocious.
At times, Ward would take the ball straight down the court and attempt a layup that had no chance of falling. He also had several shots that didn't even find rim.
After the Tide claimed a 68-50 victory, easily covering the spread, Ward would combine for 22 points and six turnovers over the next three games before being suspended indefinitely.
Auburn PG Varez Ward Subject of Federal Point-Shaving Investigation
Mar 8, 2012
A dark cloud of NCAA scrutiny and FBI intrigue will waft over Auburn basketball, as point guard Varez Ward is the target of an on-going point-shaving probe.
Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reports disturbing news that Auburn's point guard Varez Ward is alleged to have shaved points on two instances.
Robinson writes:
Three sources with knowledge of the case said the FBI has been investigating Ward since late February after he and guard Chris Denson were suspended by the Tigers prior to a Feb. 25 home game against Arkansas.
The report makes note that Denson was questioned on possible inclusion in point-shaving but was cleared of any and all wrongdoing.
Robinson then writes that other Tigers have been questioned whether they were enlisted in any possible rule breaking.
The games in question are a 68-50 loss to Alabama on Feb. 7 and a 56-53 loss to Arkansas on Jan. 25. Robinson catches us up on what transpired during those games in respects to Ward. Here is what the Yahoo Sports' writer has to say:
Alabama Game
Ward played 17 minutes, scoring three points (shooting 1-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line) and committing six turnovers with two assists.
Ward averages 2.7 turnovers per game and 8.9 points per contest on the year.
Arkansas Game
Ward checked in with 14:25 to play. He turned the ball over in the backcourt on his first possession 19 seconds later, falling to the floor as Arkansas converted the turnover into a layup. After remaining on the floor for more than a minute, Ward left the game limping on his right leg. Coach Tony Barbee later described the injury as a knee to Ward’s quadriceps.
Leaving that game left Auburn with just one reserve point guard and depth became an issue.
So far, Ward has not commented on the accusations; Robinson does well to note that Ward has even kept clear of Twitter since February 24th.
Auburn ended the season 15-15, and 10th in the SEC.
