Is this it for Jeff Lebo?It is amazing how quickly high hopes can evaporate. Jeff Lebo, fresh off of his best season at Auburn, had many of us thinking about dancing in March when this season began.
Now...not so much. After a 4-4 start, with losses to C-USA also ran Central Florida and Troy(!) to go with losses to a pretty good mid major in Missouri State and N.C. State, many Auburn hoops fans are left scratching our heads. THings get no easier with Virgina and Florida State coming up next.
We are beginning to see how much Vot Barber meant to Auburn as an inside presence, because our bigs are not doing very much in the paint. Not scoring much I can accept, but our bigs don't defend and they really don't rebound, at least not like Barber.
That being said our guard play is flat out lousy right now. DeWayne Reed was thought to be one of the better returning guards in the conference. He is 9 for freaking 38 from behind the arc. He's also 61.5% from the free throw line. 32 assist to 29 turnovers. Lucas Hargrove, another senior, is 6-31. Assist to turnover 1:1, as in 22 assists and 22 turnovers through eight games.
Frankie Sullivan has been a bright spot, and hopefully Waller getting healthy will help, but man, we are just bad right now.
I simply cannot understand how these guys can be so bad at the free throw line, and it has cost them the game in every loss.
In regards to Lebo, no doubt he is a pretty good X's and O's guy. He has done some remarkable things against better talent for years now. But for every good thing he has done on the court, he continues to shoot himself in the foot off of it by recruiting the wrong types of players (Josh Dollard comes to mind) then compounding that with adopting a heavy handed (and really holier than thou) discipline that sends guys fleeing for the door.
I heard someone say a couple of years ago "He's to clean for the SEC." I love the fact that Lebo is not a dirtbag like Cliff Ellis.
I love the fact that his kids play hard and over their heads.
I wish like hell for him to succeed, but I fear this may be his last year on the plains. A new arena opens next year, and we have a wonderful opportunity for a fresh start to our recently abysmal basketball program. It may not be fair to the guy. He started behind the 8 ball, but that was years ago.
I think it goes without saying he'd better get things turned around this season, and fast.
Outback bowling Hey, now that was not what I was expecting. But with so many mediocre choices from the middle of the pack this season in the SEC, why not Auburn for the Outback Bowl? We will get Northwestern instead of Wisconsin. For some reason I am happy not to be taking on the Badgers. Maybe it's the idea of Northwestern not being a power. Now watch them make me rue the day I ever said that.
I am looking forward to seeing a healthy Auburn team in this game. Speedwagon should bee 100% and our defensive guys should be well rested. I never want to put too much emphasis on a bowl game but we need to make a statement in this one.
Yeah, that's all I need So the Evil Empire destroyed the Gators and Tebow Saturday. How did I know that was coming. Did anyone see Darth Saban on the sidelines Saturday? I have never seen a guy so unhappy about totally dominating another team. Saban is football version of the guy in No Country for Old Men. He is ruthless, soul-less, and crazy. He is easy to hate but you must admire the job he does.
Saban's just like this guy, but a different bad haircut.
Who's Jeff Lebo?
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