One-on-one with Auburn transfer guard Miles Kelly following summer practices

AUBURN — Miles Kelly desperately wants to compete in the NCAA Tournament before his college career is finished, and hopefully improve his game and prepare for the NBA in the process.

That’s why after three seasons at Georgia Tech, Kelly transferred to Auburn. Kelly visited Auburn while in high school, so following his entrance into the transfer portal, he didn’t need a second visit. He simply Zoomed with the Tigers’ coaching staff, declined to take any visits, and ultimately signed with Auburn.

Following Kelly and the Auburn basketball team finishing their summer practices last week, Auburn Live caught up with Kelly for an exclusive one-on-one interview to chat about a wide range of topics.

From style of play, to fit within the system, to playing rotation and ultimate goals, there’s plenty to talk about. Here’s one of Auburn’s most important players for this upcoming season in his own words.

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I’ve attended some summer practices and they have been plenty intense at times. What are Kelly’s impressions of the pace of practices so far?

“My first impression, when I first got down here I got thrown right into it. The very next day I had to practice the next day. The first impression was how hard they practice every day. When we scrimmage, everybody is playing hard like it’s their last time on the court, really seeing that and coming into that, changing my mindset.”

Kelly visited Auburn out of high school, so he was familiar with the program. But with maybe only one season left in his college career, why did Kelly choose Auburn this time around? (Sidenote: I spoke to Kelly’s mother at practice one day and she mentioned how important playing in the NCAA Tournament is to him. Kelly reiterated that below.)

“Even my time at Georgia Tech, I’ve always watched Auburn basketball. Look at what they’ve done with those guys from Atlanta. I’ve seen and watched those guys play here and that’s something. They play an exiting brand of basketball. I’v always loved watching Auburn basketball. When Auburn reached out, it was definitely a conversation I had to take seriously. I visited here in 2019 and I know what they are all about. The stuff Coach (Bruce) Pearl and his staff have done with the players that have been here, that’s huge for my development in taking my game to the next level.

“It would mean everything (to make the Big Dance). I’ve been in college for three years and I’ve yet to go to the NCAA Tournament. For this to be my first one, especially to make a deep run in the tournament, that would mean everything to me. As far as my game, it would be my world, make that next jump to go to the tournament, Sweet 16, Final Four, national championship, that would be huge.”

How much did Auburn’s more “free” style of play influence his decision?

“That was a very huge decision of me coming here. My game and the way Auburn likes to play fits hand in hand. My versatility, the way I like to play, being able to guard different positions, being able to show what I can show on the court, that was a huge reason for me coming here.”

Between Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Chris Moore, Jahki Howard, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones, there are plenty of options at the two and three-guard positions. How is Kelly approaching the rotations and possibilities of minutes?

“I think it all comes down to you playing your game. We have a lot of great players, great guys here that can really play basketball and know the game of basketball. Me coming in and playing game and do nothing outside of that, don’t try to force it. Be myself, play my game and everything will take care of itself as long as we keep putting in the work and showing yourself in practice.

“We have a lot of interchangeable pieces. They are all veterans outside of Tahaad and Jahki. We have interchangeable pieces that you can’t go wrong either way you go. For me, coming into practice and being myself and playing my game, everything else will take care of itself.”

Having witnessed Kelly catch fire multiple times from three-point range during practices, his offensive game is clear to see. How would Kelly evaluate his game, including something he’s working to improve?

“I think I shoot the ball at a high level. Whether that’s catch and shoot, off the dribble, that’s something I pride myself on over the past few years of my career. That’s something that’s going to continue in my game and be a strength. Something I have been putting more emphasis on is guarding, getting up in the ball, being a pest on defense. Adding how I shoot the ball and the stuff I do offensively, me playing defense hard like that, that will change my game and take it to the next level. That’s a huge reason I came to Auburn. If you watch Auburn play, their guards get up in the ball, like to press full court, that’s something that will make my game stand out.”

I mentioned to Kelly that the way this team is built, combined with his shooting ability, it seems he will have ample opportunities to fire away from deep. Does Kelly see it the same way?

“Since I’ve been in practice, I’ve definitely felt that. If we’re running in transition, just sprint the lane. There are a lot of guys on the court that can do a lot of things. Me being open is going to happen and I’ll be able to knock those shots down. Me being able to score the ball and shoot the ball, stretch the floor, is going to be huge.”

The elder Pearl, along with associate head coach and lead recruiter Steven Pearl, recruited Kelly with obviously successful results. The staff held a Zoom meeting with Kelly after he entered the portal and the recruiting process was seemingly finished after the completion of that virtual meeting.

“I always say, the people I was on the Zoom with, they had by far the best Zoom that we had. The presentation, the people, the whole staff was on there. We felt the love through the screen. I decided not to take any visits. Everything they talked about and preached about aligned with what I wanted to do the last one or two years in college. Coach Pearl and his son, Steve Pearl, are big reasons why I came here.”

This Auburn team is an interesting combination of veteran returners in Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, Moore, Chaney Johnson, Jones, Baker-Mazara, along with veteran transfers Kelly, JP Pegues and Jaheim Hudson, plus freshmen Pettiford and Howard. Kelly says the six returners have been critical in welcoming the five newcomers.

“Since I’ve got here, it’s been nothing but love. Not only just from the team, but the fans. Everybody outside of the team, it’s been nothing but love. I think the biggest thing for us that I’ve noticed is our experience. Everybody is talking, showing their experience, telling stories they have. We’ve seen a lot throughout our basketball careers, especially the guys that have been here like Johni, Dylan, C-Mo, those guys have been big in the transition in coming here.”

I had to ask about the freshman phenom, Pettiford. The McDonald’s All-American has been really, really good in summer practices, with Kelly saying he’s met early expectations and then some.

“Tahaad is as advertised. You’re going to get everything. He’s a huge talker for his position. That’s something you have to have. Being a freshman, I was telling him the other day, my freshman year I was nothing like that. I was more on the quieter side, I didn’t have that alpha personality. The reads he makes on offense, scoring the ball or getting his teammates the ball, that’s eye-opening to see that. He’s as advertised, so is Jahki, too.”

There are certainly some bold personalities on this team in Broome, Pettiford, Baker-Mazara and Cardwell. Kelly has seemed more cool, calm and collected during summer workouts. Is that Kelly’s default personality?

“For the most part, I find a happy medium between the both. That comes with being a professional and doing your job. That’s something I want to do, whether that’s playing in the NBA. You have to be a professional and go about doing your work. The leadership role, trying to talk to the younger guys, leading by example, that’s something you have to find a happy medium between. I’m always going to have a business-like approach, get my work done. You have to find that happy medium and figure things out.”

Having been at some practices, the Yale loss in last year’s NCAA Tournament has ben brought up numerous times. In fact, the score is written on the whiteboard in the locker room, as Kelly acknowledges. But being a newcomer, how much has Kelly heard about the Yale game? I asked if he feels the frustration of that loss from the returning players…

“It bothers them a lot. They literally have the score of that game written on the whiteboard in the locker room. That’s something we are reminded of every day. I wasn’t there for that, but them seeing that score every day, this is the time now, we have to turn it around this year. We have the pieces to do that.”

And finally, how pumped is Kelly to compete inside Neville Arena this season?

“I literally can’t wait. I’ve heard a lot of things about the arena, The Jungle, and I can’t wait to play in it. I would say, the game I’m looking forward to most is Alabama. That’s what I’ve heard nothing but good things about, the atmosphere, the rivalry, I can’t wait to play in that atmosphere and arena. A player like me, I think I thrive in those type of big games.”

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