Saturday, June 25, 2016

Big Man on Campus: Laron Smith Ready for Basketball Block Party

AUBURN, Alabama - It has the opportunity to be a match made in hoops heaven.

A basketball coach, Bruce Pearl, in need of a big man to block shots and rebound.

A student-athlete, LaRon Smith, in need of an opportunity to display his talents to a larger audience.

"When I came here, Coach Pearl said he needed a shot blocker," Smith says. "A person who could rebound, run the floor. Those are my specialties. So, he's going to put me where I'm comfortable at this level, so now I can showcase what I was doing at the past levels, on the highest level."



But not everyone believed Auburn would be the best fit for Smith, a 6-foot-9 graduate transfer from Bethune-Cookman.

"When I said I was considering Auburn, a lot of people said, `Oh, you're going to play backup to the other bigs. You're not ready for that level. It's a whole different type of competition. I don't know if you want to go there and fail. It's your last year.'

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