Are you ready for Tiger Bball? You should be!

Before I write this, I want to say that I really enjoyed the Tommy West vent I posted below and completely agree with him...

That said, folks, get ready for Auburn basketball because the Tigers are going to be very good in the near future. Yesterday, Coach Jeff Lebo added some serious talent to an already talented team. 

Remember Shawn Kemp - the former NBA All-Star? Well his son is also a star and just inked with Auburn. His name is also Shawn Kemp and he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. He's a four-star, 6'9" 235 pound power forward and should provide a much-needed presence down low in the post.

The Tigers also added a four-star small forward named Allen Payne. He's 6'6" and is extremely talented. 

To go along with Sophomore sensation Frankie Sullivan, senior leader Dwayne Reed, the sharp shooter Tay Waller and the magic man Lucas Hargrove (who is similar to Rasheem Barrett, only more consistent), the Tigers should win at least 20 games this year and make the NCAA tourney - that's my prediction, go ahead and write it down. 

My view on Chizik:

Gene Chizik is probably a great fit for Auburn, although he's a HUGE gamble. He is one of the greatest defensive minds in the country, even if his only success has come as an assistant coach.

There are several facets to this hire.

First and foremost, he is a great person who knows how to raise guys from high school students into young men. He is straightforward and honest with his players, which they love. He graduates his players and teaches good morals.

Second, he loves Auburn and left four years ago only to further his career. He hoped one day to return - not sure he expected it this soon.

Third, his defense at Auburn was the best in the nation in 2004, and it was top five in 2003. His defense at Texas was top ten in 2005. He was the defensive coordinator for four seasons (1998-01) at Central Florida, where he improved a unit that ranked 81st in total defense before his arrival to one that was 16th in the country in 2001. He is an incredible teacher as far as X's and O's.

Fourth, he is only 5-19 as a head coach in two years at Iowa State.

He is a proven defensive coordinator. NOBODY will question that. But as a head coach he is only 5-19 in two seasons. Only two of those wins came this year. In your second year at a school, shouldn't you win more than two games? You would think so. I'm not at all familiar with the situation at Iowa State, but I suspect Chizik's lack of success there can be attributed largely to only having two years to recruit the type of players he needs.

As far as on the field, his defense is largely based on Monte Kiffin's "Tampa Two," which relies on speed over size and the state of Iowa is not exactly known for its speedy players - it's players are more of the "corn-fed" type. Plus, he starter 11 true freshmen this season at Iowa State - often the sign of a program in transition.

So, his philosophy is a huge plus for Auburn, which dresses out one of the fastest teams in the SEC each year. There is no doubt Auburn will continue to put good defenses on the field.

His system, philosophically: Defensive ends are undersized and line up wide so they can move around. Defensive tackles try to hit the gaps with aggression in order to apply pressure. Linebackers are undersized but very fast so they can run sideline to sideline. The secondary plays zone coverage with two deep safeties. It's a great defense that has worked for Kiffin and the Tampa Bay Bucs for years.

Plus, he's a coach who teaches players to be physical on the field and has already said Auburn will return to the hard-nosed, run-first approach - that should please the Auburn nation.

According to former players, Chizik is a great hire; they love him. They say he has the fire and knowledge and work ethic to be very successful at Auburn. Current players also seem excited, based on their first team meeting with the guy (plus a few who were recruited by Chizik in 2004). This is very encouraging. 

If these guys say he is the right guy, then I say they are probably right. I'm happy that he fits in with the "Auburn Family" and is a morally good choice as far as academic success and off-the-field performance.

However, I do understand the unrest many Auburn fans are feeling right now, and I see where naysayers are coming from. How can you hire a guy who only won five games in two season in the Big XII? Now, had he chosen to stay at Texas rather than jump at his first chance to be a head coach, he probably would have won another Broyles award for top assistant coach and would likely still be the hottest name in head coaching searches, more so than Will Muschamp. But it's curious that Auburn would choose somebody with such a severely losing record.

It's also curious that the announcement comes only a day after TCU's Gary Patterson withdrew his name from consideration. It looks like Chizik was Auburn's second choice, at best. But that's not uncommon for any school and often works out for the better.

As an Auburn fan, I would have loved to see a proven winner come in, but Auburn may have gotten a steal - especially with only a $75,000 buyout and a reported $2 million salary per year (that's not a lot in the top-notch SEC programs). If he wins, the raises will obviously follow. If he can recruit against Saban, Richt, Meyer and Kiffin, Auburn has a chance to be VERY good in the somewhat near future. But if not, we'll fall into obscurity over the next couple of years and try this thing again soon.

Overall, I'm really not worried. I believe Auburn will likely win more games than it loses next year, but it largely depends on who he brings in to coach the offense (and how he can recruit -- BTW, he recruited such Auburn DBs as Jerraud Powers, Aairon Savage and Walt McFadden). He will need to restock some key positions very soon and Auburn fans will HAVE TO BE PATIENT and not scream for his job if next year doesn't go as well as they think it should. 

I don't doubt he can win with good players, but can he continue to bring in good players? Hopefully he's not just another Terry Bowden, and I don't think he is.

Kirk Herbstreit likes the hire a lot, and the deeper I look into it, the more I like it as well. Check this out: http://auburnundercover.com/news/articles/2008/12/14/espns-kirk-herbstreit-says-outstanding-hire

I'm convinced, "resigned" = "fired"

After three days of heavy consideration and research into the issue, I'm thoroughly convinced that Tommy Tuberville was forced into resignation, aka, fired. This is contrary to what has been coming out of the Auburn athletic department, of course.

Jay Jacobs has been telling a good story, but it just doesn't add up. I just don't believe that Tubs would do that to this program and to these players. 

To say that he's been thinking about this move for months has become increasingly absurd to me. I've watched several player interviews and they all seemed very surprised. His assistants also seem surprised. You would think that a guy who has been with his assistants for 10 and even 14 years for some, that he would have clued them in to this decision before-hand. They wouldn't have been out on recruiting trips when it happened and they probably wouldn't have waited until Friday to box up their stuff, like Paul Rhodes did.

Not to mention what I said in the previous post about the contract. It just doesn't make sense to me to give Tubs his buyout even though he resigned. That's what the damn buyout is for - to ensure that he doesn't resign or take another job. 

Tuberville has yet to speak on the issue and I think the writing is on the wall. He knows this and he knows that it's in the school's and his best interest to keep quiet about it. That's why Jacobs is doing all the talking. After all, that's what he is paid to do (as a puppet, that is).