Auburn basketball will handle its general manager vacancy the same way it handled the fallout: by spreading the work around.
After firing general manager Brian Kloman on Monday, Auburn is not rushing to replace him, according to head coach Steven Pearl. Kloman was let go after he failed to disclose information about international transfer Mantas Rubštavičius’ college coursework in Europe to Auburn. That disclosure issue ultimately led Rubštavičius to dismiss his lawsuit against the NCAA, and he will not be eligible to play for Auburn this season.
Pearl addressed the opening after Auburn’s 80-68 exhibition win over Samford on Thursday, and his message was clear: the Tigers are going to absorb the job internally for now.
“We’ll work by committee. We’ll, as a staff, just kind of go through some of the things that Brian was doing and try and divvy up some of those responsibilities and collectively as a group work through those things together. One of the benefits for us is we have a great team in our administration to help us,” Pearl said.
He added that Brett Whiteside will play a bigger role in the communication flow, especially with Auburn’s compliance department.
“So, Brett Whiteside is going to be a guy that’s probably going to be more involved with me in our communication, you know our compliance department. It’s by committee for our staff at this point and we got to do a good job kind of navigating these next couple months. But right now, we’re just going to kind of keep the staff as it is and work through it together.”
Auburn’s regular season starts Nov. 4, when Southeastern Louisiana comes to Neville Arena.
In Other News...
Auburn Heads To Ole Miss With One Big Chance To Respond
Auburn heads to Ole Miss still trying to settle things down after the LSU loss, and the trip gives the Tigers a quick chance to show the last outing was more of a stumble than a trend. The matchup also puts a few key players in the spotlight, with Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb, Elijah Melendez, Andre Jordan Jr. and Cole Best all expected to have a hand in helping Auburn clean up the issues that showed up last week.
The challenge in Oxford is simple enough to understand and harder to execute: the Tigers need sharper play on both sides of the ball, especially in areas where LSU exposed some cracks. Ole Miss offers a different set of problems and a fresh test of whether Auburn can make better use of the opportunities in front of it, and the response from that group of players could go a long way toward shaping how this stretch of the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Best Hope At Ole Miss Might Test Everything Saturday
Auburn heads to Ole Miss on Saturday trying to steady itself after a recent loss, and the numbers do not exactly suggest an easy road trip. ESPNs Matchup Predictor gives the Tigers just a 25.1% chance to win, while the Rebels are still pushing to protect their place in the College Football Playoff conversation. Add in the history between these two programs and the setting suddenly feels bigger than a typical late-season SEC game.
Still, Auburn has one path that could make this far more interesting than the forecast suggests. The Tigers may be able to lean on the running game against an Ole Miss defense that can be stressed there, and if that matchup holds, it could at least give Auburn a way to keep the game uncomfortable deep into Saturday. The question is whether that edge is enough to turn a difficult assignment into a needed response after last weeks setback. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has A Clear Path To Salvaging Alex Goleshs First Year
Auburns loss to LSU dropped the Tigers to 4-3, but the bigger picture under first-year coach Alex Golesh is still very much in play. The schedule ahead offers a clear chance to steady the season, with Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and Alabama still on the slate.
If Auburn handles Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford, a 7-5 finish and bowl eligibility remain within reach, which would go a long way toward softening the sting of a rough midseason stretch. Beating Ole Miss or Alabama would be a different level of statement altogether, the kind of upset that could quickly reshape how Goleshs first year is remembered. [Read more 🡒]