SBNation.com User Blog: DKinAU

Coach Chizik on the SEC Coaches Teleconference

DKinAU — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:29:12 -0000

I made the 700 mile journey back to the Plains to take in A-Day, the Heisman Statues and everything I miss about Auburn. The video below sums up a few of my emotions:

After seeing A-Day live and in person I was interested in knowing what sorts of coach-speak would be generated by the Auburn staff. Fortunately, Coach Gene Chizik had what became a Spring Ball Wrap-up Call hosted by the Southeastern Conference media office on Tuesday. Coach Chizik was slotted as the unlucky 13th Coach to speak, but because Hugh Freeze of the University of Mississippi had a dead cell phone to prevent any possible inappropriate contact with his female staff ever, Coach Chizik spoke 12th. (Yes, any hypothetical or actual cell phone related incidents of any coach will now be seen through a Petrino lens.)

During the call, Coach seemed rather ho-hum about being on the call. What I found most interesting is how little the in-state media asked him in comparison to how much they asked UAT's Coachbot.

Most of the time Coach Chizik spoke, he was upbeat yet qualified everything by adding a statement about how young the team will be in the fall.

I spent a lot of time listening "between the lines" to try and ascertain just what his plan will be for two-a-days and the opening game in the Georgia Dome.

My thoughts as well as a general summary of Coach Chizik's remarks as well as the Q&A session are after the jump.

I made the 700 mile journey back to the Plains to take in A-Day, the Heisman Statues and everything I miss about Auburn. The video below sums up a few of my emotions:

During the call, Coach seemed rather ho-hum about being on the call. What I found most interesting is how little the in-state media asked him in comparison to how much they asked UAT's Coachbot.

Most of the time Coach Chizik spoke, he was upbeat yet qualified everything by adding a statement about how young the team will be in the fall.

I spent a lot of time listening "between the lines" to try and ascertain just what his plan will be for two-a-days and the opening game in the Georgia Dome.

My thoughts as well as a general summary of Coach Chizik's remarks as well as the Q&A session are after the jump.

Chizik's opening remarks

He said he felt spring was great evaluation tool, especially in regards to and in spite of having a new OC/DC. The 15 days were invaluable to get a feel for the 2012 Auburn Tigers. He spoke about how the men in blue have yet still a long way to go to Chick-Fil-A kickoff game in Atlanta against the Clemson Tigers. All in all, the 2012 squad is a young team physically & mentally which made a lot of strides in the spring. Coach thinks position battles are still wide open on the 2-deep, and he foresees those battles going into two-a-days. In the end he felt spring ball was very productive, but there is lots of room for improvement;

After his opening statement, the reporters began to ask questions

What will aTm & Mizzou bring to league? Coach replied speaking on his time in the Big XII at Texas and Iowa State. Then, Mizzou was at its best; he could tell the Texas A&M Aggies has all the tools to be an SEC team. The Agiges have tradition, fans, a stadium, the green, open campus. Coach feels Sumlin and Pinkel will be good and each Coach will bring new wrinkles to league on offense. He feels both schools are great additions. The biggest issue with the Missouri Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies will be the challenges to defensive coaches. The key to winning against them will be to keep the defense home vs. Mizzou and to make sure to get pressure on the QB in whatever wide open Houston-esque offense at aTm has.

Gene was then asked about the draft as it relates to quarterback play and the 2011 SEC crop of QBs. How did he feel about the SEC after Cam, McElroy and Mallet left at the close of the 2010 season. Did he think 2011 was bad year for QBs, will 2012 be better? Chizik replied with some of his best non-answers. "Not really, defenses will still be the best; QB play will depend on the individual, maturity, coaches and the offensive systems.

The next question came from a Columbus, GA writer. He wanted to know about Scot Loeffler's work in various offenses and how the past experience translated into Auburn's offensive identity. Coach Chizik stressed how important it is to close the gap on figuring out who the starter is. He will not put a QB out there if said QB won't succeed. Scot and the staff will develop QBs to win games from here on out. Scot's background at Michigan, in the NFL, and with the Florida Gators with Tim Tebow, Auburn's QBs will we do what we they can do and they will try to win every game with the skills they have.

The next reporter asked about Kiehl Frazier's development in Spring. Coach talked about how satisfied he was and how good it was for Frazier to get playing time last year. In whatever capacity; real live-game experience will help this fall. He improved a lot this Spring; he's got a lot to do and the coaches are asking a lot of him. Frazier is learning, but his best days are ahead of him.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter asked about Arkansas coaching issues and John L. Smith. Coach responded thusly, "my hands are full here at Auburn, so Arkansas probably did what they thought was in the best inerest of their school. I'm going to worry about Auburn."

The next phase of questions went back to A-Day. How did the young 2011 team progress from 2011 into this spring? Coach said a lot of value was gained in winning bowl game. The offense kneeled at 4 yard line to keep the game respectable for the Virginia Cavaliers. The team scored all those points and won without the starting QB, RB, and a thin defense. The team has embraced the new offensive and defensive coordinators as well as the new secondary coach. The team and staff are very upbeat, positive; there is an urgency to get better (get to 11 wins, instead of just 8). All the kids have a great ambition to succeed and lead; a lot of the guys on our team take football very seriously. In the end, 70% of the roster will be underclassmen in 2012. There is a long way to go, but the team is excited about where they are headed. The guys are in the game mentally, and they want to be better

The final question was posed in regards to prep for the Kickoff Game against Clemson. Coach kept his response to about using the game to set the tone for the season. He said "it's going to be an exciting game for our guys; Clemson and Auburn are similar schools, despite different conferences." He thinks of it as a rubber game at a neutral site after the 2010 and 2011 games. He and the team love playing in Atlanta, and he loves being in and recruiting in Georgia. The game will give him a great idea of where Auburn is as a football team. Clemson is a top 10 team so the game will give him a good idea of what SEC slate will bring.

All in all, I think the message and tone of Coach is positive and hopeful. I appreciate knowing I can read between the lines to see how the new OC is developing Frazier to be the starter for the next 3 years. I am glad the defense is going to be better and I am glad to know all of the players are excited.

It sounds like spring ball gave Auburn some momentum going into QB-led summer work-outs and will be a great starting place for Two-A-Days in August.

War Eagle!

That's all my time, I thank you for yours.

Auburn Hires New Basketball Coach

DKinAU — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:27:52 -0000

The Auburn Women's basketball team has a new coach!

A welcome to the Auburn Family and big War Eagle goes out to Terri Williams-Flournoy.

via www.dailypress.com

She has SEC experience and was a good recruiter at recent Big East women's basketball power, Georgetown.

More about our new Women's Coach after the jump!

The Auburn Women's basketball team has a new coach!

A welcome to the Auburn Family and big War Eagle goes out to Terri Williams-Flournoy.

via www.dailypress.com

She has SEC experience and was a good recruiter at recent Big East women's basketball power, Georgetown.

More about our new Women's Coach after the jump!

From Georgetown's website:

Terri Williams-Flournoy is now in her eighth season at the helm of the Georgetown women's basketball team. In recent years, Williams-Flournoy has ushered the Hoyas into three of the most successful seasons in program history.

She helped Georgetown return to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11 posting an overall record of 24-11 and a mark of 9-7 in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas defeated five ranked teams and were ranked in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls for the entire year, at one point reaching No. 11 on the AP Poll and No. 12 on the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The Blue & Gray finished the season with an RPI of 12, as well as being ranked 23rd and 14th on the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Polls, respectively.

The Hoyas tied for seventh in league play and earned their second-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament where the Hoyas advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history. Georgetown fell in the Round of 16 to Connecticut, 68-63, despite leading almost the entire game. Sugar Rodgers earned her second-consecutive Honorable Mention All-America award and two players were named All-BIG EAST.

During the summer of 2011, Williams-Flournoy was named an assistant coach for Team USA for the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. The team won a gold medal in competition.

In 2009-10, she led the squad to a 26-7 overall record with a 13-3 mark in BIG EAST play along with a 13-0 record at McDonough Arena. Georgetown posted a 16-game win streak at one point in the season and finished tied for second in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas spent 12 weeks in the national rankings and earned the program's second bid to the NCAA Tournament. Fifth-seeded Georgetown defeated Marist in the fi rst round of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to fourth-seeded Baylor University in the second round. The Bears eventually advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

The Blue & Gray led the nation in turnover margin (+8.12) with a fast-paced tempo and also ranked third in steals per game (12.9). Georgetown was also 11th in the country with a 15-game home win streak dating back to 2008-09. Individual honors followed with two players earning All-BIG EAST, a BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-America award. Williams-Flournoy was also named the Coach of the Year by the Black Coaches Association.

The previous season, Williams-Flournoy led the Hoyas to a 20-14 overall record, the program's first 20-win season since 1992-93. The Hoyas had an impressive run through the WNIT advancing to the quarterfi nals and going further than any team had advanced in postseason play in the program's history. In the process, GU defeated Winthrop, Wake Forest and Richmond before falling in a heartbreaking loss to Boston College. Georgetown was 7-9 in BIG EAST play earning the No. 10 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Senior Karee Houlette earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention and participated in the State Farm Three-Point Challenge at the NCAA Men's Final Four.

Williams-Flournoy took over the program on Aug. 27, 2004, becoming just the sixth women's basketball head coach in Georgetown history. Additionally, she signed a five-year contract extension in June, 2010. Returning to GU was a homecoming for Williams-Flournoy as she began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach with the Hoyas in 1992. The stint lasted until 1996 when she moved on to the University of Georgia.

Williams-Flournoy put together a 12-year record of success as an assistant coach at Georgetown, Georgia (1996-2002) and Southwest Missouri State (2002-04) posting a record of 251-116. She has been a part of three teams that have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances including a Final Four (1999) and two regional finals appearances (1997, 2000) with Georgia, and Georgetown's Sweet 16 run in 1993.

During her two seasons at Southwest Missouri State (now known as Missouri State University), Williams-Flournoy worked with head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and was a part of two-straight NCAA Tournaments and two-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championships. The Southwest Missouri State team finished the 2003-04 season with a 28-4 record and won the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

At Georgia, Williams-Flournoy was recruiting coordinator for the program during a time when Georgia made sixstraight NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Andy Landers. During Williams-Flournoy's tenure, the Bulldogs won Southeastern Conference titles in 1997 and 2000, the SEC tournament in 2001 and produced seven current WNBA players.

Williams-Flournoy's four-year stint at Georgetown as an assistant saw the Hoyas achieve great success in her first season (1992-93), as Georgetown earned a BIG EAST Championship and its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the year with a 23-7 overall mark, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. Williams- Flournoy was responsible for all aspects of recruiting and scouting along with conditioning, game planning and academic monitoring.

A 1991 graduate of Penn State University with a degree in business management, Williams-Flournoy was a four-year letterwinning basketball player for the Lady Lions under former coach Rene Portland. Penn State won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in each of Williams-Flournoy's last two seasons as a player and was a participant in the NCAA Tournament in three of Williams- Flournoy's four seasons. In 1988, 1990 and 1991 Williams-Flournoy and the Lady Lions advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and in 1991, Penn State was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Williams-Flournoy, sister of basketball guru Boo Williams of Hampton, Va., and her husband, Eric, have a daughter, Maya, 11, and a son, Eric, Jr., 8, and live in Waldorf, Md.

NOLA Bound!

DKinAU — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:55:33 -0000

The Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament opens during lunch on Thursday in the Big Easy.

via blogs.orlandosentinel.com

The third game of the day will feature your Auburn Tigers.

As the 10 seed, we were able to finish the regular season at .500 with a Senior Day win (which Jay wrote about) vs. the LSU Tigers on Saturday. Auburn's opponent in New Orleans is the Ole Mississippi Rebels, the SEC's 7th Place finisher.

Auburn and Ole Miss played 90 minutes of basketball this year, the game in Auburn went to two overtimes). Auburn is 0-1-1 in regulation against Ole Miss. A neutral floor game down I-55 from Oxford and just across Mississippi from Mobile and the rolling Plains will be a test of which team travels well, which team the Kentucky fans (Big Blue Nation) like more and how the players handle adversity.

Your SEC Tournament and Auburn vs. Ole Miss score predictions in the comments.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule and War Eagle!

Bonus Video of Auburn basketball after the jump!

The Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament opens during lunch on Thursday in the Big Easy.

via blogs.orlandosentinel.com

The third game of the day will feature your Auburn Tigers.

Your SEC Tournament and Auburn vs. Ole Miss score predictions in the comments.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule and War Eagle!

Bonus Video of Auburn basketball after the jump!

Retrospective on Regression

DKinAU — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:09:01 -0000

In 2011, Auburn football had a more rewarding season than the LSU Tigers or Alabama Crimson Tahd (sic). Even if LSU has a 13-1 record and Honey Badger highlights to last a lifetime and UAT has championship number schwifty-five (sic); Auburn's 2011 will still be more rewarding. LSU and UAT were expected to be in the Top 5 all year. Auburn was supposed to regress to the Barfield era.

In the August periodicals, Auburn was predicted to finish fifth in the SEC West. We find our varsity boys have exceeded those expectations. Many media-types and Bammers said Auburn would not reach bowl season. Our favorite team has proven those doubters wrong. We made it to a bowl with a great payout, a short drive for most of the Auburn family and coupons for free Chick-fil-a (which expire February 29th). Should we accept the 8-5 (4-4 conference, 1-4 road) record as what happens with youth? Should we simply accept this is what happens to Auburn when All-Everything Offensive and Defensive game-changers move on to the NFL?

I say no. We should always want more. We should hope and want every season to end with a championship. State, division, conference and BCS. Not in the always hopeful, "well, if we win the rest of our games" way - but in a legitimate, culture of excellence way.

Auburn is great. Auburn should strive for championships. Our coaching staff has only grown stronger since the bowl. We have more former coaches as head coaches in Division I than at any time I can recall (Chizik, Sullivan at Samford, Bowden at Akron, Tuberville at Texas Tech, Fisher at Florida State, Muschamp at Florida, Rhoads at Iowa State, Petrino at Arkansas, Malzahn at Arkansas State and the list probably goes on).

We are a place where talent grows both in coaches and players, see: Jason Campbell becomes first round pick. So, our underclassmen will only get better. Auburn will rebound. Auburn will get back to double-digit win totals. The 2012 Signing Class may not be glamorous or rank in the Top 5, but it's an Auburn class. We filled our needs. If every NFL team used every draft to pick up a top flight QB and skill position players, the fans would decry a fantasy football owner (ahem, Washington Redskins).

Auburn's coaches know our class is the class we needed - they wouldn't have recruited those young men if it was not the case. For those who obsess over the run-up to signing day, shame on you. Leave the thrill of seeing an al.com article from Jon Solomon about an 18-year-old kid picking your school to the Updyke ilk - it strikes me as very "Sandusky" (sitting on the back porch watching the neighbors' children, not the actual crimes he "allegedly" committed). We are better than "they"; so let's enjoy National Signing Day and celebrate who the coaching staff reeled in, not the ones who got away.

I like Auburn at 8-5 just as much as I like them at 14-0. We should all feel this way about all things Auburn.

You may think I am crazy for liking Auburn at 8-5. I promise, I am not. So, what do I mean for my continued membership in the Auburn family in 2012 and beyond? I will explain after the jump.

To me, it is in our poetry, our calls to arm.

First and foremost, the Auburn Creed.

Not one of the other 13 members of the SEC have a Creed such as ours. Dr. George Petrie reminded us in 1945 why we are special. Why Auburn is above and beyond. Auburn is set apart with a purpose to make the world a better place in all things, not just athletics.Our education and extension are award-winning. We should be the benchmark for all Universities.

THE AUBURN CREED

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.

- George Petrie

Truer words never spoken. I am now brought to what David Housel said in 1980.

What is Auburn?

Far be it from me to try to answer that question. There are as many definitions of Auburn as there are Auburn men and women.

It would be safe to say, however, that Auburn is much more than a football game. It is much more than winning and losing.

It is a spirit. It is an attitude. It is a way of looking at life and at one another. It is, almost, a way of living. Unless you have experienced it, you will never know what it is; you will never understand it. Once you have experienced it, you will never be the same. A part of you will, forevermore, be an Auburn man or an Auburn woman.

- David Housel

You know what you have come from. We know who we are.

Let us take up our Auburn mantle and carry it throughout the land, from the pools of the NCAA Championship Meet, the Fields in Omaha, to the arenas where we play our Conference Tournament round-ball. We should be All In and All Auburn for our All Everything University, not just the football I talked about, not just the coaches I talked about, not just the superstars.

When the Pep Band strikes up or the Auburn University Marching Band, even with its Bama grad director, hits a downbeat - we need to sing, we need to dance. We need to be the energy and have the excitement ready for the students, the student sections, coaches, student-athletes, professors and administrators to feel at all times. We need to be ALL IN for everything Auburn. All. The. Time.

Your wanting of championships shall not go unfulfilled, you will be rewarded even in defeat because Auburn men and women everywhere share more than a scoreboard. We share a family.

Thank you for the generosity of your time.

War Eagle.

Mike Stoops for DC, anyone? Auburn should hire him effective January 2, 2012 so Auburn finishes...

DKinAU — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:22:58 -0000

Mike Stoops for DC, anyone? Auburn should hire him effective January 2, 2012 so Auburn finishes the decade with the same DC we had in 2002, Gene Chizik.

Hilarity ensues, thanks to LSUFreek and EDSBS.com Also, special thanks to Steven Clark for the...

DKinAU — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:35:11 -0000

Hilarity ensues, thanks to LSUFreek and EDSBS.com

Also, special thanks to Steven Clark for the most punter quote ever: "It's been great,'' Clark said of the experience. "I drove to Atlanta (to catch his flight to Orlando) and met Justin Blackmon (of Oklahoma State) on my plane and later realized that (Ryan) Broyles (of Oklahoma) was on the same flight, too,'' Clark said. "Just being in the presence of guys like that - you see them on the field and playing on TV - but it's great to get a chance to meet them and realize what great guys they are.''

Shane from Centerpoint, is going to hang up and listen to the rest of us. May he rest in peace,...

DKinAU — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:51:07 -0000

Shane from Centerpoint, is going to hang up and listen to the rest of us.

May he rest in peace, PAAWWWWWWWLLL!!!