Auburn Tigers men's basketball
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| Auburn Tigers basketball | |||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Auburn University | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference | SEC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Auburn, AL | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Jeff Lebo ( year) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Capacity: 10,500) |
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| Nickname | Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Colors | Navy blue and Burnt Orange
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| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference Tournament Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960, 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball program has often taken second place to the gridiron, thanks to Tigers Football immense popularity in the state and the SEC. But Tiger basketball has had flashes of brilliance under coaches Joel Eaves (.681), Sonny Smith (.529) and Cliff Ellis (.598).
In recent years, the Tigers have been making steady progress under the leadership of head coach Jeff Lebo. After a couple of rebuilding seasons, Lebo appears to have turned the corner and even swept arch-rival Alabama in the 2006-2007 season.
Contents |
[edit] Jeff Lebo Era
| Jeff Lebo (2004-present) | |||
| Season | Overall | SEC | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2005 | 14-17 | 4-12 | - |
| 2005-2006 | 12-16 | 4-12 | - |
| 2006-2007 | 17-15 | 7-9 | - |
| 2007-2008 | 0-0 | 0-0 | - |
Jeff Lebo was named the Tigers' 19th head basketball coach on April 8, 2004. In his 20 years as a Div. I head coach, assistant coach and player, the 39-year-old Lebo has won wherever he has been. To his credit are nine conference championships - two in six years as a head coach, four as an assistant coach and three as a player. [1]
He has been a part of two SEC Championships at different schools, three ACC Championships, two OVC Championships and a pair of Southern Conference titles. [1]
[edit] Arena
Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum is a 10,500-seat multipurpose arena in Auburn, Alabama. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the Auburn University Tigers men's and women's basketball teams and women's gymnastics team. The building's exterior is primarily nondescript concrete, but its entry plaza is recognizable for the large "War Eagle" statue which also faces not only the rest of the university, but also nearby Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Within the friendly confines of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, Auburn boasts an impressive 198-73 record (.731) over the past 20 seasons. Overall, Auburn is 285-135 (.679) in the Coliseum. Only five times in the 34-year history of the Coliseum has Auburn experienced a losing record at home. Auburn's 30-game homecourt winning streak from the 1997-98 season to the final game of the 1999-2000 season is the longest in Coliseum history. It was the nation's second longest current winning streak at the time and the second longest home winning streak in Auburn history. [2]
On June 29, 2007, Auburn announced plans to build a new baskeball arena and practice facilities that will be completed by the 2010-11 season. [1]
[edit] History
[edit] Coaches
There have been 19 Auburn Basketball coaches since the program was started in 1905 by Mike Donahue. Donahue roamed the Tigers' sidelines for the next 16 years and also served as Athletic Director, football coach, baseball coach, and track coach while at Auburn.[2]
The school's all-time winningest coach was Joel H. Eaves, who was also a former Tiger basketball player. He guided the Tigers to their first SEC title in 1960 and coached for 14 seasons at The Plains.
| Auburn Coaching History[3] | ||||||
| Tenure | Coach | Seasons | Won | Lost | Pct. | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905-1921 | Donahue | 16 | 74 | 80 | .481 | - |
| 1921-1924 | Hutsell | 3 | 16 | 24 | .421 | - |
| 1924-1925 | Bunker | 1 | 3 | 11 | .214 | - |
| 1925-1928 | Papke | 3 | 38 | 18 | .679 | - |
| 1928-1929 | Bohler | 1 | 6 | 15 | .286 | - |
| 1929-1930 | Lee | 1 | 1 | 10 | .091 | - |
| 1930-1933 | McAllister | 3 | 25 | 18 | .581 | 4-7 |
| 1933-42, 1945-46 | Jordan | 10 | 95 | 77 | .552 | 61-56 |
| 1942-43, 1944-45 | Evans | 2 | 4 | 28 | .125 | 3-18 |
| 1946-1947 | Edney | 1 | 3 | 18 | .143 | 1-15 |
| 1947-1949 | Doyle | 2 | 21 | 25 | .457 | 12-18 |
| 1949-1963 | Eaves | 14 | 213 | 100 | .681 | 124-75 |
| 1963-1973 | Lynn | 10 | 130 | 124 | .512 | 84-88 |
| 1973-1978 | Davis | 5 | 70 | 61 | .534 | 42-48 |
| 1978-1989 | Smith | 11 | 173 | 154 | .529 | 84-114 |
| 1989-1994 | Eagles | 5 | 64 | 78 | .451 | 29-55 |
| 1994-2004 | Ellis | 10 | 186 | 125 | .598 | 73-87 |
Ralph "Shug" Jordan (pronounced JURD-an) was the winningest football coach at Auburn and also coached the basketball team for 10 seasons, compiling a record of 95-77 (.552). The university's Jordan-Hare Stadium is named in his honor.
Sonny Smith was head coach at Auburn for 11 seasons and compiled an overall record of 173-154 (.529) and was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1989. He also coached the Auburn Tigers to their first SEC Tournament Championship in school history (1985).[4] During his years at Auburn, he coached NBA Hall of Fame player, Charles Barkley and was the only coach in school history to have three consecutive win seasons, from 1984-86.[4] On January 3, 2007, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Cliff Ellis coached at Auburn for 10 seasons while compiling a record of 186-125 (.598) and led the Tigers to the 1999 SEC Championship with a 29-4 record, a state of Alabama record for most wins. Under Ellis, the Tigers reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in five years. Along with a 24-10 record and NCAA Tournament second round appearance in 1999-2000, Ellis coached Auburn to the top three single-season victory marks in school history. [5]
[edit] Players
In addition to its rich tradition in team accomplishments, numerous individual athletes began their careers at Auburn and went on to achieve worldwide recognition. Charles Barkley, or "The Round Mound of Rebound" as he was affectionately called by Auburn fans, began his career as a Tiger.
| Retired jerseys[6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Year |
| 15 | John Mengelt | 2001 |
| 34 | Charles Barkley | 2001 |
| 23 | Rex Frederick | 2006 |
| 45 | Chuck Person | 2006 |
| 11 | Wesley Person | 2006 |
From 1982-1984 "Sir Charles" dominated the courts in the SEC. The former 1984 NCAA player of the year was a member of the "Dream Team" that captured the Olympic gold medal in 1992 and 1996. He was also the 1993 NBA league MVP and a member of 11 All-Star teams.
Other famous Auburn hoopsters include current NBA hoopsters Marquis Daniels of the Indiana Pacers, Moochie Norris of the Houston Rockets and Wesley Person of the Denver Nuggets. [7]
Former Auburn stars such as Jamison Brewer, Bobby Cattage, Marquis Daniels, Matt Geiger, Adam Harrington, Cedrick Hordges, Eddie Johnson, Darrell Lockhart, John Mengelt, Mike Mitchell, Chris Morris, Moochie Norris, Mamadou Ndiaye, Myles Patrick, Chuck Person, Wesley Person, Stan Pietkiewicz, Chris Porter and Aaron Swinson have gone on to play professional basketball after leaving The Plains. [8]
[edit] SEC Conference
Auburn joined the SEC as a charter member, when the league was established in December 1932, after the 13 members of the Southern Conference located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains left to form their own conference. Ten of the thirteen charter members have remained in the conference since its inception: the Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt. Arkansas and South Carolina later joined in the early 1990s.
Teams play a 16-game conference schedule, facing each team from its own division twice and each team from the opposite division once. Prior to expansion, teams played a double round-robin, leading to an exhausting 18-game conference schedule. Since the league slate was trimmed to 16 games, only Kentucky has gone undefeated in SEC play in 1996 and 2003.
[edit] NCAA Tournament
Auburn has participated in the NCAA basketball tournament eight times with an overall record of 12-8 (.600). [3]
In 1985, Auburn reached the Southeast Regional at Birmingham Coliseum in Birmingham, losing to North Carolina 62-56. [3]
In 1986, they made the West Regional Semifinals and Finals at The Summit in Houston. They defeated UNLV 70-63, but lost to Louisville, 84-76. [3]
In 1999, Auburn reached the South Regional Semifinals at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, losing to Ohio State, 72-64. [3]
In 2003, they made the East Regional Semifinals at Pepsi Arena in Albany, losing to eventual champion Syracuse 79-78. [3]
[edit] SEC Tournament
The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (often simply the SEC Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament.
Auburn has won the SEC Tournament only once, in 1985 under coach Sonny Smith. [3]
[edit] NIT Tournament
Auburn has participated in the NIT Tournament five times, with a record of 2-5 (.286) and to date, have never made it past the second round. [3]
[edit] Mascot
Aubie is Auburn University's award-winning costumed tiger mascot. Aubie has won a record six mascot national championships, more than any other mascot in the United States. Aubie was among the first three college mascots inducted to the Mascot Hall of Fame, inducted on Tuesday, August 15, 2006.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Jeff Lebo. AuburnTigers.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
- ^ Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum . AuburnTigers.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Auburn Hoop History. AuburnTigers.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
- ^ a b ashof.org, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved, April 4, 2007.
- ^ Auburn Head Coach Cliff Ellis To Be Inducted Into Mobile Sports Hall Of Fame. Test.com (2003-04-22). Retrieved on 2007-03-16.
- ^ Chuck and Wesley Person, Rex Frederick To Have Jerseys Retired. SECSports.com (2006-01-25). Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
- ^ Auburn Tradtion. AuburnTigers.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
- ^ NBA/ABA Players who attended Auburn University. databasebasketball.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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