AU HOOPS: Tigers open preseason practice today

A surprisingly strong finish followed by the harsh realities of NCAA Tournament qualification have given the Auburn basketball team a bit of an edge heading into the 2009-10 season.

“You have to be a special team to make it to the NCAA Tournament — a really special team,” senior forward Lucas Hargrove said. “Now that we know what it takes, I feel like we have a better chance at getting a spot in the tournament.”

Twenty-two wins, a 10-6 conference record and one of the strongest finishes in the nation didn’t cut it last season for the Tigers, who will hold their first official practice of the season today at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

The satisfaction of advancing to the quarterfinals of the NIT was certainly nice, but a stronger landing place will be what Jeff Lebo’s team has in mind when it kicks off the season Nov. 13 against Niagara.

“We have a taste on what it was like to win,” said Lebo, who is entering his sixth season as the Tigers’ head coach. “We had so many meaningful games coming down the stretch. Every game seemed to grow with importance, and we handled that very well coming down the stretch.

“For our guys coming back and being able to play in those kind of games, I think that is going to be very valuable for our group.”

The Tigers are down a number of key contributors from last year’s run, but return five seniors and a bevy of game-experienced players.

The backcourt will be the Tigers’ strongest area, as senior point guard DeWayne Reed and sharp-shooting Tay Waller both return. Sophomore Frankie Sullivan, who averaged 7.6 points per game during a true freshman season in which he seemed to improve by the game, will also be a major contributor.

Hargrove, who has bulked up to 225 pounds since he arrived at 167 as a freshman, will be used as a three or four, depending on the personnel at hand.

“He’ll be moving around a lot,” Lebo said. “I think we’ll be able to put him in different spots to take advantage of him. I think defensively he is strong enough to defend inside. It’s hard for a bigger guy to have to defend him out on the perimeter.”

The biggest question mark will be in the post, where the Tigers have to replace Korvotney Barber, who led the Tigers with 9.6 rebounds per game and chipped in 12.8 points per game.

Senior Johnnie Lett is still recovering from an ankle injury and is considered to be at “70 percent” right now, Lebo said. That puts more on the shoulders of Brendon Knox, who came on late in the season as an option off the bench.

“He’s going to have to stay out of foul trouble for us,” Lebo said. “Brendon had a problem last year staying out of foul trouble. He has to do a better job.”

The Tigers will have five true freshmen in the mix, plus junior-college transfer Kenny Gabriel, who has caught the attention of Hargrove.

“I call him my (protégé,)” Hargrove said. “Any time I call Kenny to come to the gym, he’s at the gym. Any time we lift weights, he’s lifting weights trying to get stronger. I see him as a younger me except more athletic.”

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