Gator Country

Auburn coach Tony Barbee praised his veteran players Rob Chubb and Frankie Sullivan for embracing his system heading into their third year together. Barbee predicted Chubb would have strong season for the Tigers and believes the 6-foot-10 center could have an All-SEC year.

Auburn coach Tony Barbee:
On expectations of your team this year:
“For me, the expectations are going to be high. Nobody can put a higher expectation on my program or myself than my players or myself. With that being said, we just want to step forward and keep the momentum going. From year one to year two we got better and had more wins, more conference wins, a higher RPI, a higher strength of schedule and we want to keep that momentum going this year. When I talk about expectations, I don’t want to talk about the number of wins because whenever I look at our schedule, I don’t see a game we are going to lose. That’s how I look at things. It’s going to be a fun year for us. Practice has been competitive and spirited. We have a lot of positive things going on and we are excited about the year.”

On leadership:
“This has been the strongest leadership I’ve had since I’ve been at Auburn. The seniors have done a great job. That’s a part of building a program, which is the reason why I came to Auburn. I know we’re starting to get there when the players that have been with me for two years are finishing my sentences before I finish them. When I start to see those veteran players who are comfortable in their own skin now and are coaching the younger guys and helping them along is a great start. Frankie Sullivan is finally able to play at 100-percent. I can’t remember the last time he missed a shot in practice. He’s been playing really well. It’s the same thing with Rob Chubb. He’s playing with a senior’s confidence now at 255 lbs. He looks different and he’s playing different.”

On the pieces in place to make a run in the SEC:
“We’re getting close. It’s a process and each year we want to take positive steps forward. This year our roster is stronger than it was last year. These positives are going to equal to a higher finish in the conference. We have some difficult competition with Texas A&M and Missouri joining the league. The top of the league has remained strong and the middle and bottom of the league have gotten stronger.”

Courtesy of SEC Digital Network

More Basketball | RSS