aubiefifty

here is the official golf song folks. enjoy!

he has a few. i have seen at least two and there might be more since i could not watch streaming games.

it is way early but i assume you are not including kodi or gus in that are you?

NCAA tourney provides reunion for Iowa assistant, former Auburn GA Matt Gatens Published: Mar. 15, 2023, 3:57 p.m. 5–7 minutes Matt Gatens’ phone buzzed Sunday evening, not long after the CBS selection show revealed his Iowa team drew ninth-seeded Auburn in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament. It was a text from his former boss, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “I’ve changed all the play calls, and I’ve changed all my signals, and we’re not running that anymore,” Pearl said, somewhat jokingly. Read more Auburn basketball: Chance Westry opens up about inner conflict during recovery from knee injury, his future at Auburn Baker star, Auburn commit Labaron Philon named Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year Playing the field: Auburn leaning experience against historically tough schedule as it enters March Madness Pearl didn’t want Gatens, who served as a graduate assistant at Auburn during the 2017-18 season and is now an assistant under Fran McCaffery at Iowa, to get the inside scoop on the teams’ first-round matchup, which is set for 5:50 p.m. CT at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena. Then came another text from another familiar name from Gatens’ past. It was Mike Burgomaster, Auburn’s recruiting coordinator and assistant to the head coach. This one had less to do with the matchup and more to do with their last shared visit to Birmingham. Back in 2017, when Gatens and Burgomaster were both GAs on Pearl’s staff, Auburn squared off against Middle Tennessee State at Legacy Arena in a game the Tigers won, 76-70, to get off to their best start since 1999. The night before that game, Auburn’s staffers took an outing to nearby Top Golf. It was one of the memories that immediately came to mind for Burgomaster when the bracket revealed Iowa as Auburn’s opponent in Birmingham, so he fired off the text to Gatens: “Are we going to go to Top Golf the night before the game?” Burgomaster, like Pearl, was just “kind of joking” about the pre-gameday rendezvous, but the excitement about getting to have a reunion with his former off-the-court colleague was sincere. RELATED: Bruce Pearl reacts to Charles Barkley picking Alabama to win national title “Obviously there’s a fine line between being friendly, and obviously we got to do our jobs to prepare our guys to the best of our abilities,” Burgomaster said Wednesday. “So, there hasn’t been too much talk about the actual game, but we’re just trying to find a way to see each other and catch up a little bit while we’re still in the same city.” For Gatens, the matchup with Auburn is a reminder of the humble beginnings of his coaching career. A former two-time All-Big Ten selection and two-time captain at Iowa, Gatens’ first foray into coaching following a career in the G League and overseas came at Auburn. He joined Pearl’s staff as a graduate assistant during the 2017-18 season, when he assisted with travel, development, scouting, video and running Auburn’s offseason camps. Gatens had a prior relationship with Pearl before joining the Tigers’ staff. His father Mike Gatens — another former Iowa player under Lute Olson — was one of Pearl’s close friends during the coach’s time as an assistant at Iowa. “He gave me a lot of insight on coaching from a player’s perspective, so it was really fun to kind of be in the trenches with him and be on the floor with the guys,” Burgomaster said of Gatens. Gatens’ introduction to coaching was one he looks back on fondly—and it came during what proved to be a breakout season for Auburn under Pearl. While the 2017-18 season got off to an inauspicious start with the FBI scandal that rocked the sport—and ensnared then-Auburn assistant Chuck Person and led to suspensions for players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy—it was an overall successful season on the Plains. Auburn went 26-8 overall, including a 13-5 mark in the SEC as the program won its first SEC regular-season title since 1999. Auburn also earned its first NCAA Tournament berth of the Pearl era — and its first since 2003 — that year, drawing a four-seed in the Midwest Region and defeating College of Charleston in the opening round in San Diego. “I was just a sponge in that first year and trying to learn everything, from helping out with travel to scouting — just everything to do with a program,” Gatens said. Following his year on the Plains, Gatens took what he learned at Auburn and left for an opportunity at Drake, where he spent four seasons on staff. The first two were as director of operations before being promoted to assistant coach the next two years. During his time at Drake, the program posted four consecutive 20-win seasons and earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2021. Then mama called. He was presented with an opportunity to return to his alma mater and work as an assistant coach under another veteran coach in McCaffery. He jumped at the chance and helped guide Iowa to a 19-13 record and eight-seed in this year’s tournament. Little did he know then that journey that began six years ago would come full circle in Birmingham with Iowa and Auburn meeting in the NCAA Tournament. “What are the odds that we’re getting matched up in the first round?” Burgomaster said. “Matt’s the best. I’m really happy for him now that he’s back coaching at his alma mater. He has a really bright future ahead of him.” Now it’s just a question of whether a reunion at Top Golf on Wednesday night will precede the one on the floor of Legacy Arena on Thursday evening. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

collegefootballnews.com Auburn vs Iowa Prediction, Game Preview, NCAA Tournament First Round Pete Fiutak ~3 minutes Auburn vs Iowa Prediction, Game Preview Auburn vs Iowa How To Watch Date: Thursday, March 16 Game Time: 6:50 ET Venue: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, AL How To Watch: TNT Record: Auburn (20-12), Iowa (19-13) - Auburn vs Iowa Expert Picks Why Auburn Will Win You know that defense thing the kids are all into? Yeah, Iowa hasn't downloaded the app. Oh sure, the Hawkeyes can score with just about anyone and can put up points by the bucket load, but guarding is optional. Auburn might not have the most dangerous attack around, and it's awful from the outside, but it plays an aggressive brand of defense with lots of blocked shots leading the transition points. Iowa is totally miserable at guarding the three - Auburn at least has to give it a shot - and it hasn't been all the close to stopping anyone in this 2-4 run coming into the tournament, but ... - 25 Worst Basketball/Football Schools Why Iowa Will Win Points, points, points, points, points. Auburn's good defensively, it has the ability to grind it out when needed, and it'll force plenty of turnovers, but Iowa can hit a slew of threes and take this over right away. Iowa can't win on its defense. It has to work it around, keep it moving inside and out, and it has to keep taking chances to get Auburn out of its shell - it's not really play in one offensively, but it would like to be in this - and turn this into a firefight. Recommended for You The Hawkeyes are 11-0 when making 47% or more of their shots, and Auburn is 2-9 when teams 44% or better from the field. How many times this year was Iowa held to under 44%? 12, but it's 2-8 when its below 43% and ... - NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews Auburn vs Iowa What's Going To Happen Auburn can score, too. It's not like this is Wisconsin or Virginia on the other side of the Hawkeyes. Auburn makes a bunch of free throws, it'll get a slew of second chance points, and it'll move the ball around well enough to score without too many problems. Auburn's defense will clamp down when it has to. Iowa's won't. This will be a bit more of a higher-scoring game than the Tigers might like, but they'll be fine with it. Expect fun. Auburn vs Iowa Prediction, Line Auburn 78, Iowa 74 Line: Auburn -1, o/u: 152.5 ATS Confidence out of 5: 2 Must See Ranking: 4 - Auburn vs Iowa Expert Picks

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn-Iowa among NCAA Tournament's most intriguing first round games Taylor Jones ~2 minutes Auburn basketball snuck into the NCAA Tournament by earning their 20th win of the season on the final day of regular season play, and their reward will be playing in one of the most interesting matchups of the first round. No. 9 seed Auburn will square off with No. 8 seed Iowa in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday evening at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Playing in the 8-9 game is usually intriguing in itself, but CBS’ David Cobb feels that there is another factor that will draw in viewers. Buy Tigers Tickets Cobb ranked every NCAA Tournament opening-round matchup and has placed Auburn-Iowa at No. 3 on the list, trailing only Arkansas-Illinois and Texas A&M–Penn State as the best matchups in the first round. He says that Auburn’s guards, as well as the coaching matchup, should provide quality entertainment to the college basketball fan. If you’re into seeing coaches act like children, you’ll love this one. We’ll set the over/under on coach technicals at a cautious 1.5 and won’t be surprised if either Auburn’s Bruce Pearl or Iowa’s Fran McCaffery get tossed for their antics. The Hawkeyes are a fun offensive team led by a potential first-round NBA Draft pick in Kris Murray, and Auburn’s backcourt of Wendell Green and K.D. Johnson is constant chaos. The chaos of the No. 8 Iowa- No. 9 Auburn matchup will tipoff at 5:45 p.m. CT on Thursday evening on TNT.

yahoo.com Chance Westry working to come back from injury better than ever Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes After a stellar Israel summer tour that saw him score 10.3 points per game, Auburn fans were excited about the potential production that freshman Chance Westry could bring to Auburn’s already talented squad. However, Westry has not returned to his standard playing shape after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in October. This has caused him not to see the floor since early January and has limited him to only seeing action in 11 games this season. After Auburn’s 76-64 loss to Georgia on Jan. 4, head coach Bruce Pearl elected to shut down Westry, which will allow him to redshirt and get a second chance at being a freshman again in 2023-24. In his time away from the action, Westry has been working to prepare for next season. “It’s been pretty hard, you know, because I’m not out there playing,” Westry said Wednesday at Legacy Arena. “Seeing everything and also being the player that I am, I want to go out there and try to fix some things, but it’s been hard. I’ve been getting stronger every day… and getting ready for next year so I can be out there myself.” Several changes that Westry has taken on have been adding weight. He weighed 183 pounds in the summer but has now grown to 197 pounds thanks to a plan set forth by Auburn’s strength and conditioning coach, Damon Davis. That is one of the main reasons why Pearl remains confident that Westry can ultimately become the player that he was before the surgery. “I mean, it means a lot,” Westry said. “(Pearl) believes in me. Obviously, he sees the best, so I’m just going to live up to what he sees and be even better.” Westry was a four-star combo guard from Chandler, Arizona as a member of the 2022 signing class, joining Yohan Traore and Tre Donaldson. Looking ahead to next season’s roster, Westry will join Wendell Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson as one of four returning guards, with freshman signee Aden Holloway joining the mix.

Exclusive: Social media threats exploded after Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 claims, analysis finds 3.3k Jessica Guynn and Will Carless, USA TODAY Tue, March 14, 2023 at 2:02 PM CDT Tucker Carlson's portrayal of the deadly Jan. 6 attack as a largely peaceful event on his prime-time Fox News show set off a dangerous new wave of social media chatter that includes death threats against Capitol police officers and Democratic leaders, according to experts who monitor extremism and a report from Advance Democracy shared exclusively with USA TODAY. The segment that aired last week downplayed the violence at the Capitol two years ago, recasting the Washington mob that breached the Capitol as an “orderly and meek” gathering of “sightseers.” Carlson’s claims, which accompanied clips of Capitol security footage, drew an angry reaction from right-wing users who fired off threats on Twitter and in pro-Trump forums directed at politicians who have made public inquiries into the violence, especially the congressional Jan. 6 committee. Those threats came in far greater numbers than before the broadcast, according to the Advance Democracy report. Jan. 6 riot: Hundreds of identifiable people remain free. FBI arrests could take years Crowdfunding extremism: Extremists raised $6.2 million on crowdfunding websites in 'heyday' of financing On Twitter, posts relating to Jan. 6 using violent rhetoric increased fivefold from the previous week, the report shows. The outpouring of violence concerns extremism experts, who said Carlson and Fox News are playing with fire by spreading disinformation that could inspire violence against the targets of their coverage. "If there were an attack right now on one of the groups or individuals that was mentioned in Tucker's report – one of the dumping grounds for his ire – I would not be surprised at all," said Megan Squire, deputy director for data analytics at the Southern Poverty Law Center. "I mean, that's basically what we're expecting right now." Fact check: False claim about 'QAnon shaman' amid Jan. 6 tapes Threats posted online On pro-Trump forum Patriots.win, users called for violence, with one commenting: “SOLUTION HAS NEVER CHANGED.” He added, “GALLOWS. FOR ALL OF THEM.” Tucker Carlson, left, and former President Donald Trump, talk while watching golfers on the 16th tee during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J., July 31, 2022. A defamation lawsuit against Fox News is revealing blunt behind-the-scenes opinions by its top figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message where he said “I hate him passionately.” Carlson's private conversation was revealed in court papers at virtually the same time as the former president was hailing the Fox News host on social media for a “great job” for using U.S. Capitol security video to produce a false narrative of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) ORG XMIT: WX101 Incendiary comments spread on other social media platforms such as Gab, Getter, 4chan and Trump’s own Truth Social, according to the Advance Democracy report. Violent threats included calls to lynch Jan. 6 Committee members and Democratic lawmakers such as "hang them high" and "hang 'em all." “God does not sleep,” a Gettr user wrote. “Every one of them in the January 6 committee will have to pay for what they did.” FILE - Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to unleash a trove of Jan. 6 Capitol attack footage to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has launched a wholesale rewriting of the history of the deadly siege. Carlson aired the first installment of some 41,000 hours of security footage on his prime-time show and promised more Tuesday. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) ORG XMIT: WX201 Streaming platforms Rumble and TikTok were also rife with incendiary talk including claims that Jan. 6 was a so-called false flag operation. (In such a case, conspiracy theorists allege, a destructive event is actually faked to pin blame on the opposite side.) Users called for mass arrests and charges of treason against Jan. 6 Committee members, Advance Democracy found. FILE - Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to unleash a trove of Jan. 6 Capitol attack footage to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has launched a wholesale rewriting of the history of the deadly siege. Carlson aired the first installment of some 41,000 hours of security footage on his prime-time show and promised more Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) ORG XMIT: WX203 “Nuremberg 2.0 for the Commies and their propagandists,” one Rumble user wrote. "If not a single person is arrested for the immense corruption then there are no more peaceful solutions," another wrote. One TikTok commenter threatened mainstream media outlets: "It’s time to burn these media outlets to the ground." Squire said Advance Democracy's findings mirror what she and her team at SPLC are seeing on social media in the wake of Carlson's reports. Jared Holt, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and an expert on domestic extremism, said he also noted a significant uptick in violent and hateful rhetoric online after the Carlson piece aired. Holt said a quick analysis showed Carlson's name, and referenced to the Jan. 6 riot increased 15-fold in the days after the segment. He said the coverage is a deliberate attempt to distort the truth and convince Fox News watchers the insurrection was not as serious as it was. "Disagreements are at the heart of politics," Holt said. "The political process is about resolving those disagreements. But if one party of that conversation is attempting to erase what, objectively, was an attack on the democratic process itself – it's just appalling." Fox News did not respond to a request for comment. Fox News is 'promoting dangerous false narratives for ratings' Daniel Jones, president of nonprofit research organization Advance Democracy, accused Fox News of “promoting dangerous false narratives for ratings.” Carlson’s show last week was the highest-rated program on cable TV, reeling in nearly 3.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. “Fox News is knowingly misleading its viewers again by cherry-picking footage to suggest the events of Jan. 6 were largely nonviolent. Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is telling his viewers that they have been misled," Jones told USA TODAY. "Our research found that these comments have directly led to violent threats being made against the January 6th Committee members, federal judges and others." Carlson's report was unscrupulous by the standards of any journalist, said Kelly McBride, chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics & Leadership at the Poynter Institute. "It is unethical and immoral to lie to people, period. And when you have as large of a platform as Fox News does, that lie causes a lot of harm," McBride said. "It is antithetical to journalism." But what Carlson does should not be considered journalism, McBride said. As recent revelations from the Dominion Voting Machines defamation lawsuit against Fox News have shown, Carlson and many of his colleagues at Fox are engaged in a deeply cynical disinformation effort, she said. "There's no way you can look at his (Carlson's) Jan. 6 special and conclude that he has any interest in doing journalism," McBride said. More: Two years since the Jan. 6 insurrection, extremist groups are fragmented, but live on Tucker Carlson hosts a highly rated conservative opinion show on Fox News. Tucker Carlson aired Jan. 6 claims using Capitol security footage House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Carlson exclusive access to Capitol security footage from Jan. 6. Carlson, who has spread conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack, opened the broadcast with the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump and was "a grave betrayal of American democracy." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the media as he holds a copy of a CNN article, Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the Capitol in Washington. McCarthy's decision to unleash a trove of Jan. 6 Capitol attack footage to Fox News' Tucker Carlson has launched a wholesale Republican effort to rewrite the history of the deadly siege. Carlson aired the first installment of some 41,000 hours of security footage on his prime-time show and promised more Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ORG XMIT: DCAB123 He showed clips of rioters in the Capitol not engaged in violent activities. The released footage “demolishes the claim” that an insurrection occurred, Carlson said. House GOP leaders promoted the “Tucker Carlson Tonight” segment. On Tuesday, the House Republican Conference tweeted: “MUST WATCH” and four siren emojis. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger condemned the segment as “offensive and misleading.” Republicans split in reaction to Tucker Carlson segment The Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, criticized Fox News for depicting the Jan. 6 attack “in a way that’s completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks.” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said Carlson’s broadcast was “dangerous and disgusting.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters following a closed-door policy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Schumer criticized House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to unleash a trove of Jan. 6 Capitol attack footage to Fox News' Tucker Carlson, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The conservative commentator is working to reverse the narrative of the attack that had played out for the world to see into one more favorable to Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ORG XMIT: DCSA117 The Biden administration criticized Carlson for his “false depiction of the unprecedented, violent attack on our Constitution and the rule of law – which cost police officers their lives.” “We also agree with what Fox News’s own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible,” deputy White House press secretary Andrew J. Bates said in a statement. WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 7: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) holds up a letter from the U.S. Capitol Police as he denounces Fox News' Tucker Carlson's recent coverage of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. McConnell spoke on a range of issues after a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Republicans. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775950720 ORIG FILE ID: 1247869830 Bates was referring to the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems. In a deposition released Tuesday, David Clark, who oversaw Fox News’ weekend programming, said he did not consider Carlson’s program a credible source of news. According to court documents, Carlson admitted that the voter fraud claims were false. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video from Fox host Tucker Carlson drove threats online, analysts find

all that said, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation by a Bill-Barr-appointed prosecutor for the last five years and while they haven’t found anything in all that time, it does seem like Hunter might have been playing fast and loose with his taxes, so bear in mind … if the above is true then we are just wasting tax dollars. good grief.....................

here comes the Hunter Biden investigation cluster**** just look at the guy, he's got to be guilty of something Jeff Tiedrich 8 min ago Hunter Biden, the current president’s ne’er-do-well son, is a one-man international crime spree. don’t believe me? just look at the evidence: remember when Hunter Biden got caught running a scam university? oh wait, that wasn’t Hunter Biden, that was Donald Trump. remember when Hunter Biden was ordered by a court to take a class in “how not to steal money from a charity” after getting caught doing exactly that? oh wait, that wasn't Hunter Biden, that was Ivanka, Individual-1 Junior, and the dumb one. remember when classified documents were stolen and then out of clear blue sky, Bone Saw Arabia handed Hunter Biden two billion dollars? oh wait, that wasn't Hunter Biden, that was Jared Kushner. look, Republicans are desperate for a win right now. Jim Jordan’s half-baked “twitter files” hearings blew right the **** up into his big stupid bewildered face. Tucker Carlon’s deceptively-edited January 6 tapes flopped so hard that after just one broadcast, Old Tucks shoved them straight into the memory hole. so now it’s time torment Hunter Biden because dammit, just look at the guy. he’s seedy. he doesn’t shave every day. he’s got to be guilty of something. piece of cake. fish in a barrel. there’s just one problem. Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich for ****'s sake, no one outside of the wingnut outrage-industrial complex gives one chicken-fried **** about Hunter Biden. stop it already, you sound like a sad idiot 3:15 PM ∙ Dec 3, 2022 40,711Likes4,714Retweets actually there’s a second problem. Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich need some cheering up? yesterday, Jim Jordan demanded documents from Hunter Biden and Hunter Biden told him to **** off 3:17 PM ∙ Feb 12, 2023 47,041Likes4,082Retweets actually, there’s a third problem. Jennifer "Pro-privacy" Rubin @JRubinBlogger A legal defeat for MAGA-inspired investigations (which to date have spectacularly flopped) would be the perfect denouement to Republicans’ inept efforts to harness congressional power for political gain. washingtonpost.comOpinion | Ex-intelligence officials challenge the Hunter Biden witch huntRepublicans lack a legitimate legislative purpose for their probe. 12:49 PM ∙ Mar 14, 2023 1,821Likes555Retweets but DAMN THE TORPEDOES, FULL SPEED AHEAD. so get ready for another round of stupid show trials. another round of ill-informed Republicans waving their arms and yelling inane dipshittery at witnesses, hoping for a soundbite for that night’s Fox News. another round of Democrats who brought receipts skillfully skewering Republican hypocrisy. you know the drill. you’ve seen this movie a dozen times. the ending never changes. all that said, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation by a Bill-Barr-appointed prosecutor for the last five years and while they haven’t found anything in all that time, it does seem like Hunter might have been playing fast and loose with his taxes, so bear in mind … Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich every Democrat believes that if Hunter Biden broke the law, he should be punished. every Republican believes that Donald Trump should be above the law. any questions 2:07 PM ∙ Oct 7, 2022 75,805Likes13,707Retweets everyone is entitled to my own opinion is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Auburn commit Labaron Philon named Gatorade Player of the Year Updated: Mar. 15, 2023, 7:08 a.m.|Published: Mar. 15, 2023, 6:58 a.m. ~4 minutes Baker's Labaron Philon celebrates against Enterprise during the AHSAA Class 7A South Regional at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com) For the third straight year, a Mobile-area basketball star has been named Gatorade’s Alabama Player of the Year. Baker junior and Auburn commit Labaron Philon was announced today as the 2022-2023 winner. He follows former McGill-Toolen standout Barry Dunning Jr., who won the last two Gatorade awards. RELATED: Hoover’s Reniya Kelly is Gatorade’s top female Philon, a 6-foot-4 point guard, scored more than 1,000 points this season in leading the Hornets to the South Regional title game. “Obviously, he just had the best season in Baker High history,” Hornets coach David Armstrong said. “It was impressive by any stretch. He scored 1,000 points in a season, which is what many people work for in their careers. He did it in one year. “Labaron carried us when he needed to carry us and helped our other guys be better on the nights they needed to be better. He’s a great leader. I can’t wait to see what he does next year.” Earlier this week, Philon was named the MaxPreps Alabama Player of the Year. He is also expected to be a contender for the Alabama Sports Writers Association Mr. Basketball Award, which will be announced April 6 in Montgomery. He is the reigning ASWA Class 7A Player of the Year. Philon averaged 35 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Hornets. He committed to Auburn over Alabama, Kansas and others on Feb. 16. “I think at that level, he’ll be similar to what he is at the high school level,” Armstrong said. “He won’t have to be dominant all the time with the ball because he will be playing with some great shooters. Auburn needs a guy like him right now. I think he’ll make a system like that run at a high level.” Philon is ranked as the nation’s No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN.com. He concluded his junior year with 2,357 points in his prep basketball career. “He is a prolific scoring guard who loves to get out and attack the basket,” said Paul Biancardi, National Recruiting Director for ESPN, in a Gatorade release. “His speed with the ball in the open floor allows him to get by defenders. Philon’s 3-point shot has developed over the past six months, too, and his offensive game is best at a faster pace when he can transition defense into offense. He is dedicated to improving and has been a sterling example of a great teammate.” The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport. In addition to Philon and Dunning, other past Gatorade Alabama Players of the Year JD Davison of Calhoun and Trendon Watford of Mountain Brook. this guy scored a thousand points in one season? holy cow he might lead us to the promised land.

yahoo.com CBS Sports tabs Iowa-Auburn as No. 3 overall first-round NCAA Tournament matchup Josh Helmer 3–4 minutes CBS Sports says make Iowa-Auburn appointment television. That’s already the case for Iowa Hawkeye fans, but it’s nice to see some of the national love for the contest. CBS Sports’ David Cobb ranked every single first-round March Madness contest. As one might expect, the 8-seed versus 9-seed matchup checked in highly. Folks might not have expected the Iowa-Auburn tilt to rank this highly, though. It checks in as the No. 3 overall first-round game according to Cobb of CBS. Only Arkansas-Illinois and Texas A&M–Penn State earned higher marks from CBS. If you’re into seeing coaches act like children, you’ll love this one. We’ll set the over/under on coach technicals at a cautious 1.5 and won’t be surprised if either Auburn’s Bruce Pearl or Iowa’s Fran McCaffery get tossed for their antics. The Hawkeyes are a fun offensive team led by a potential first-round NBA Draft pick in Kris Murray, and Auburn’s backcourt of Wendell Green and K.D. Johnson is constant chaos. – Cobb, CBS Sports. Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Fran McCaffery of Iowa can certainly provide some fireworks on the sidelines. Leading with that is a discredit to the basketball on the court that’s set to be played, though. It’s the players on the court that will make this most worth watching. Thanks to forward Kris Murray’s 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, Iowa has legitimate star power. Beyond that, Iowa forward Filip Rebraca also averages 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. Guard Tony Perkins, forward Patrick McCaffery and forward Payton Sandfort each average double-figure scoring. Perkins chips in with 12.5 points per game, while McCaffery and Sandfort both add 10.0 per night. For Auburn, forward Johni Broome, guard Wendell Green Jr., forward Jaylin Williams, and guard Allen Flanigan each average double-figures. Broome leads the way with 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. It will be an interesting contrast in what each team is good at, too. Iowa boasts the nation’s No. 3 adjusted offensive efficiency per Kenpom, while Auburn has the country’s No. 29 adjusted defensive efficiency. Iowa likes to shoot 3-pointers, averaging 23.7 attempts per game. Auburn ranks sixth in 3-point percentage defense, surrendering just 28.8% accuracy. Given that it’s an 8-versus-9 game, it’s not shocking that it would be one of the best. Still, contrast between the two teams, the talented players for both and the coaches should make this one that every fan won’t want to miss. More Basketball! Why ESPN's Jay Bilas is picking the Iowa Hawkeyes to top the Auburn Tigers Day 1 watchability rankings for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Kris Murray earns All-American honors from Associated Press NCAA Tournament: Breaking down the Midwest Region 5 thoughts on the Iowa Hawkeyes' NCAA Tournament landing spot Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

that can make a person pretty dang nervous. maybe we can set up a CHAT INTERVENTION ROOM. we should have trained pro's talking us down off the ledge. well other than bird since he can fly............

i am not sure how i missed this before but that is one scary statement. and i believe you. lets just hope it has only been two weeks one which was off time so i am hoping they are are still trying to find their feet so to speak with the new offense. i will say in one of the clips i saw the qb coach was getting on holden with the mechanics of his left leg i think. so the coaches appear to be doing their jobs and maybe it works out for us.

we probably would have done well with kirby but if he had gotten busted here it would have been a mess. they have always claimed we are one of the dirtiest schools around and we caught hell in the press. even with cam. to be honest this is what i worry about with coach freeze as he had some recruiting violations as well. if we got busted all the debbie downers to include a couple on this board will be saying we told you so. that being said they should nail the cheaters and not be allowed to get away with it. i have always felt when you start taking money away from the schools or even the coaches it would not happen near as much.

montgomeryadvertiser.com Why Hugh Freeze has been pleased with Auburn football's offensive line in spring practice 4–5 minutes AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze stopped short of saying interior offensive lineman Tate Johnson was standing out over his teammates, but he gave the junior some of the best praise he's handed out since joining the Tigers. "There’s an expectation that we’re trying to set and he wants to drive the train for that expectation," Freeze said of Johnson on Monday. "It matters to him. Wearing Auburn on his chest means something. You can’t have enough of those guys.” Johnson, who was the starting center for the Tigers in 2022 before an elbow injury against Missouri that required surgery, has been working along the interior of Auburn's offensive line so far in spring practices. SPRING PRACTICE:Auburn football spring practice: Personnel units and other observations HUGH FREEZE:What Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze said about proposed rules to shorten games "He’s got to know how to play all three of those middle spots," offensive line coach Jake Thornton said Feb. 28. "He’s intelligent. He’s tough. I believe he’s an Auburn man. He’s been through a lot of lows and a lot of highs here and come out on the other side. ... He’s a technician. He knows how to use his body. He’s not the biggest guy, but he uses his strengths and he capitalizes on what he’s good at." Johnson is one piece of Auburn's revamped offensive line. Freeze was hired in November and Thornton came over from Ole Miss the following month. Since their arrivals, the Tigers have added eight new linemen: Four high school recruits, three from the transfer portal and one out of junior college. Three of the four freshmen − Bradyn Joiner, Connor Lew and Clay Wedin − have enrolled early; Tyler Johnson out of Natchitoches Central High School in Louisiana will arrive in the summer. But the most notable of the newcomers have been the transfers. All three − Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky), Avery Jones (East Carolina) and Dillon Wade (Tulsa) − consistently have been working with the first team. Britton and Wade are tackles. Jones is a center. “I was really pleased with the O-line in the first few practices," Freeze said ahead of Monday's practice. "This’ll be the second one with pads on and the defense is starting to get more stuff in with more movements. That’s usually when you leave practice feeling awful because we haven’t practiced enough against these movements and it could make you look really bad." The Tigers have 16 offensive linemen on campus this spring, including those seven newcomers. A new staff, coupled with the addition of so many incoming players, is bound to have growing pains, but Freeze said that's not something he sees as a "great challenge." His reasoning behind that belief is that it happens every year. Freeze explained that you're always bringing in newcomers at every position, especially in the new age of college football with the transfer portal being so prominent. "I think players by now, if they’re realistic, they understand at this level every year we’re trying to out-recruit you," Freeze said. "Not many coaches will say that, but that’s the truth. You’ve got to compete every year to earn your time, and we’re going to try again next year to go find another one that’s even better. "But you still need all of them, and forming them together when they’re competing for playing time and also trying to form a great team, that’s probably somewhat of a challenge, for sure. But it’s something that we’re kind of used to.” Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

si.com Podcast: TJ Finley or Robby Ashford? Surprise offensive lineman emerges Zac Blackerby ~2 minutes Who will win Auburn's quarterback battle? Auburn football is expecting another quarterback to enter the battle with Robby Ashford and TJ Finley when we approach the May Transfer Portal Period. If Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers coaching staff can't add another arm, it's interesting to see what could happen to the offense. A surprise offensive lineman has emerged in spring camp. Dillon Wade, Gunner Britton, and Avery Jones are all guys that we expected to see more of but Tate Johnson seems to be a player that Auburn wants to see more of moving forward. DeMario Tolan continues his strong start to spring practice as he has emerged as the main fixture in the center of the defense so far behind a defensive line that is rounding into form. On today's Locked On Auburn, Zac Blackerby is joined by Mike G of the War Rapport. the guys discuss the latest Auburn football news, rumors, and speculation. You can watch the episode below on YouTube or listen to the audio version via Spotify. Locked On Auburn is a daily podcast about Auburn athletics. It can be heard wherever you get your podcasts as well as seen every day on YouTube. It can also be seen and heard every day on Auburn Daily.

247sports.com Wesley McGriff on third Auburn coaching stint: 'I'm never leaving' Nathan King 3–4 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — Wesley McGriff had it easier than Auburn's other eight new assistant coaches. Any coach will say one of the most difficult parts about changing jobs is making the transition into a new house, in a new place, especially when most coaching changes and hires occur during prime recruiting time after the season. But McGriff never sold his house in Auburn after his last stint on the Plains just a couple years ago. "I walked right back into my home," McGriff said during a chat with local reporters Tuesday. "It's good to be back home. In this profession, you move a lot. But it's been one transition where I didn't have to make a lot of adjustments. You know where everything is when you walk back into your house, and it's a blessing." Coach "Crime Dog" isn't an Auburn alum, nor did he cut his teeth with the Tigers as a young coach in the industry. But McGriff has more experience at Auburn than most of Hugh Freeze's inaugural staff, now back coaching with the program for the third time. Former coordinator Kevin Steele hired McGriff to coach defense backs when Steele took over the Tigers' defense in 2016, then Steele and Gus Malzahn brought him back in 2019 after McGriff was let go as Ole Miss' defensive coordinator. "Oh, I'm never leaving," McGriff said. "I mean, I just went to coach somewhere else, but I never left Auburn. We kept the house here, and this is home." McGriff wasn't retained by Bryan Harsin in 2021, and spent the following two seasons at Florida and Louisville. And when Freeze landed the Auburn job, McGriff, who had been hired by Freeze twice previously at Ole Miss — as cornerbacks coach in 2012, and defensive coordinator in 2016 — got the call again. "Did I ever think that I would come back here to coach?" McGriff said. "I was hopeful for that, but, man — when you have an opportunity to come to a place like Auburn, you get that phone call, it's a very short conversation." In arguably the top unit on the roster, McGriff splits duties in the secondary with Zac Etheridge; McGriff coaches cornerbacks, while Etheridge is over nickels and safeties. Now in his third decade as an assistant on the FBS level — plus a three-year pitstop in the NFL with the Saints — McGriff is plenty comfortable in the SEC. But something about Auburn is different to McGriff. "The town, the location, the league" are all what a coach looks for at any stop in his career — let alone three times. The only thing bad about Auburn, McGriff said? "Your weight just goes" because of all the good food in town. "It's one of those places that you dream of coaching," McGriff said. "To have the opportunity to do it three times — man, don't wake me up." how awesome is this? it makes me love crime dawg more...............

si.com Three-star TE Dillon Hipp praises Auburn coach Ben Aigamaua for genuine approach in recruiting Lance Dawe 2–3 minutes The Tigers' coaching staff is putting in work on the recruiting trail - and recruits are seeing it. Auburn football's new coaching staff has worked wonders on the recruiting trail in just a matter of months. It's a stark contrast from what was happening just an offseason ago. Dillon Hipp, a three-star tight end out of Scottsdale, Arizona, sat down with college football recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. to discuss some of the schools he was in contact with recently. When asked about Ole Miss and Auburn, Hipp said that the two campuses and overall vibe were close. "They're actually very similar," Hipp said. "With the college town aspect. Everybody there was very kind in that type of way. They just had the same type of vibe." Hipp noted that while he didn't get to meet Coach Hugh Freeze in his recent conversations with the Tigers, but he did get to spend some time with his main contact - new tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua. According to Hipp, Aigamaua is unique in the fact that he doesn't want to try and pressure Hipp into committing to the Tigers. "With Coach Ben, he really shows a lot of effort," Hipp said. "He wants to earn an official from me, he doesn't wanna pressure me like a lot of schools tries to do, which just shows the type of coach he is. The contact he's had with me - he's sent me long messages that are personal, and have meant a lot to me." The 6-6, 230-pound tight end is the No. 28 overall tight end in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.