Bruce Pearl praises Jaylin Williams for sticking it out, loyalty to Auburn

In his fifth season at Auburn, Jaylin Williams earned All-SEC honors at last. During halftime of the South Carolina–Arkansas matchup on Thursday, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl praised his fifth-year forward.

“Fifth-year guy, graduate senior, all-time-winningest player in the history of Auburn basketball, graduate of the university, and and finally an All-SEC player,” Pearl said. “We don’t see enough of those kind of role models. Guys that stick it out. Guys that are great toward the end of their career.

“I think maybe you look at a player like Jaylin Williams and say, ‘Maybe the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.’ He was loyal to Auburn and Auburn was loyal to him, and look at him now.”

Williams is averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game this season while shooting 57.7% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc. Williams is also adding 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per night to the Tigers’ effort.

For his efforts this season, Williams was named to the All-SEC Second Team earlier this week, joining standouts from across the conference. Auburn’s Johni Broome was the only other Tiger to receive All-SEC honors.

Williams has scored double figures in five straight games for Auburn. His team will need him to carry his momentum into the week as they look to secure their first SEC Tournament title since 2019. Earlier this week, Pearl revealed what his team’s mindset is heading into the postseason.

Bruce Pearl prepares his team for a postseason journey

“I’ve always sort of held to the thought that cream rises to the top at the end of the year,” Pearl said. “Sometimes, the most dangerous teams are the underachieving teams with lots of talent that finished the regular season and felt like they left a lot on the table. In 1995, I won a national championship with a team that finished third in the league. They were talented and we had underachieved. That doesn’t happen to us very often because I’m a grinder and I won’t allow it.

“When you are playing your best basketball down the stretch, that does matter. We’re playing some good basketball. You have to have depth — getting hot at the right time and knowing that you are playing for something. Experience matters, too.”

Williams provides no shortage of experience. On Friday, Auburn will kick off its SEC Tournament run. The Tigers will face off against the winner of Arkansas and South Carolina at approximately 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.