The Bodda Getta

Part of the problem, but certainly not all of it, with AU basketball and college basketball in general is a massive jump from High School to the NBA that many of the big-time recruits partake in. It started with Kobe Bryant and it has snow-balled to the point now that NBA quality players are only at certain schools. Years ago, every SEC team had at least 1 NBA-caliber player on their roster. Now its only KY and FLA. That is why the overall talent in the SEC and College basketball is so watered-down compared to what it used to be. Allowing those players to jump from HS to NBA has totally changed college basketball as we know it, and it has made even more difficult for schools like AU to find that elite basketball talent.

I really don't think that basketball even "pays" its own way at Auburn. To do that you need to be in the big dance, a team that consistently wins seventy percent of its games and then a deep run in the tournament. And even though Auburn has a new facility, it does not have 16,000-20,000 seats. Is Barbee the [person to get us to that point? I think it is too soon to tell and he needs more time. Better recruiting would help as well.