'He makes other guys better': Bruce Pearl praises leader, playmaker Wendell Green Jr.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — There are certainly question marks that surround the makeup of this Auburn basketball team after the departure of NBA first-rounders Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Smith and Kessler were the two best players on the floor every night, hard workers and leaders in the locker room. But ask former transfer Wendell Green Jr., and he’s more than ready to take over a prominent leadership role.
“I’m a leader on this team,” Green said with confidence at SEC Media Day on Wednesday. “I feel like I’m a vet. A lot of guys come to me for questions and plays and anything- off the court stuff. That’s kind of my role now.”
Whether he is having a good practice or not, Green Jr. knows that the Auburn newcomers are looking to him to lean on when preparing for this season. And Green Jr.’s teammates see the leadership capabilities shining through as practice kicks into high gear before the November 7 opener.
“Even when he’s having an off day at practice, he’s still trying to lead, because, Tre is a freshman,” Jaylin Williams said. “He wants to have a great body language for him. If Wendell acts, like, awful at practice or has an attitude or something like that, Tre is going to feed off of that… He’s helping lead us physically and mentally. He’s showing us how he good wants to be and how physical he can be.”
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Last season, Green only recorded four starts, but played in 33 games, averaging 11.9 points in each of them. Prior to Auburn, Green was at Western Kentucky. Since Green is smaller than the average point guard in the NCAA (just 5-foot-10), Pearl talked about the fact that he didn’t have to compete against other large schools while recruiting. His size clearly wasn’t a concern to Pearl, though.
“Wendell’s not undersized in any other way other than just where he lines up,” Pearl said. “He’s got great confidence. He makes other guys better. He’s dangerous on the floor and the biggest thing is just, physically, he’s gotten stronger…”
Pearl has said in multiple occasions recently that his starting five is far from being set. He reiterated that at media days on Wednesday. However, Pearl has also consistently said at least one position is fairly secure.
That position is PG1, and it’s all Green Jr.’s this season.
“I feel like my role is the starting pointing guard,” Green said. “I feel like I’ve earned that role because I work hard and I’m leading guys.”
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