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One way or another, it's going to be a season to remember for Auburn basketball.
I didn't expect those words to be so loaded down with innuendo here before the second game of the season, but it sounds like the team is working hard behind the scenes to make things as interesting as possible.
Fresh off a 51-point, jaw-shattering victory against Vermont, No.11 Auburn (1-0) plays No.4 Houston (1-0) at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday night at the Toyota Center. Auburn's team plane left for Houston on Friday afternoon, but the flight was scrapped by pilots after a fight between players broke out shortly after takeoff.
Did things get heated because Chad Baker-Mazara wanted a seat by the window? At this point, we can only speculate and be thankful that everyone is safe.
An audio recording between one of the pilots and air traffic controllers leaves little doubt about the severity of the situation. Clothes were reportedly ripped and at least one of the pugilists was apparently left bloodied by the brawl. The pilot initially wanted to divert the flight to Montgomery for an emergency landing and even requested to have police standing by to help sort things out.
Coach Bruce Pearl then convinced everyone on board to calm down and at that point the pilot requested clearance to land back in Auburn.
"It's kinda crazy," said the pilot to air traffic controllers.
And those words pretty much sum up all of collegiate athletics here in November of 2024. Slap it on a T-shirt, baby. Sell it for $35 at the team store.
Nothing builds team chemistry quite like a good mid-air melee. I think it was John Wooden who once said that.
A few days ago, I boldly picked Auburn to win the national championship this season. I was feeling pretty good about that column after the Tigers walloped a decent Vermont team 94-43 on Wednesday. Suddenly, I'm wondering if this team is going to implode on national television during one of college basketball's bigger games of the non-conference schedule.
KenPom ranks Auburn No.2 nationally and Houston No.1. Both teams begin the season with Final Four potential. It was already must-watch TV. This new drama makes it almost more compelling than Alabama's football game on Saturday night at LSU.
Friday was an all-around bizarre experience for basketball in the SEC. Before Auburn's airplane crisis, news broke that Florida coach Todd Golden is allegedly some kind of weird creep with serious problems. Golden was an assistant coach at Auburn from 2014 to 2016 and he considers Pearl a close friend and mentor. According to a report by the Independent Daily Alligator, Golden is the subject of a Title IX complaint involving students that accuses him of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking.
Bad stuff.
Florida's scandal makes Auburn's trouble seem trivial by comparison.
Auburn took a second fight to Houston later on Friday night. It's unclear if everyone made the trip after the ruckus. Fights among teammates are common, but when they involve canceling a flight due to safety concerns it makes you stop and question things.
Will players be kicked off the team? Should sky marshals be required on all team flights? Should people who fight on planes even be allowed on airplanes at all?
Pearl is a good coach, so I'd expect him to somehow turn this adversity into an opportunity for character development and team growth. Or at least try. Pearl clearly has some issues to work through, but team discord before big games can have positive outcomes.
Auburn's embarrassing travel diversion reminds me of last March when Alabama basketball player Nick Pringle took a separate flight than teammates to the NCAA Tournament. The team had a chartered flight, but Pringle flew commercial. Pringle said he needed to take care of a "personal issue." When he showed up in Spokane for the first round, he said he wanted to support his teammates and help out anyone he could.
It's better to have fights among teammates in November than March. Auburn's roster is loaded down with talent. The Tigers remain a championship contender, but maybe Pearl should consider assigned seats for the rest of the season.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra once used an airplane metaphor to describe his role for a team that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen. Spoelstra's job wasn't to get the flight off the ground or from point 'A' to point 'B.' Spoelstra was there to land the plane.
Pearl went out this offseason and assembled the most talented group of players in his career. They're not a team yet, though. Not truly. That part will have to come later. A team full of fight isn't necessarily a bad thing, but now we know that Pearl is facing the greatest challenge of his career.
Can he land the plane, or will he be forced to turn it around?
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