To drive down to the basket with such authority and force. To go up and swing his arm and a basketball down through the rim, as if it had angered him. To slam the ball over a defender, causing a gasp in his hometown stadium.
Jaylin Williams has been attempting it all year. He’s come so close to that epic slam so many times. But he has not completed the play.
Williams finally got it on Saturday, his final home game.
Williams had an unfettered running lane down the center of the floor, as if the bull had been let loose, when he grabbed a pass from Chris Moore in stride around midcourt. Georgia’s Dylan James began racing from closer to the sideline, not sure what he was thinking, but he was attempting to catch Williams. Perhaps heShould not have. Williams jumped from right near to the SEC logo in the paint. He cocked his arm all the way back, and James helplessly jumped with him — a mistake — as Williams dunked the ball over him, resulting in a poster that will undoubtedly sit on Williams’ wall for years.
AUBURN, AL – MARCH 09 – Auburn’s Jaylin Williams (2) during the game between the #13 Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday, March 9, 2024. Photo: Zach Bland/Auburn TigersZach Bland / Auburn Tigers
Auburn’s 92-78 triumph over Georgia on Saturday at Neville Arena featured only two points with an exclamation mark. It was Auburn’s 24th win of the season. It completed the regular season with a record of 24-7 overall and 13-5 in the SEC. It was senior day. It was the last home game for numerous Auburn seniors, including Williams.
It was Williams’ 110th win, the most by any Auburn player. He began his first season at Auburn in the fall, following the team’s 2019 Final Four appearance. He also has the record for most games played at Auburn.
“I’m not going to allow anyone to break that record anytime soon,” Williams stated Friday. “Hopefully COVID doesn’t come around again.”
Probably a horrible joke, but the COVID-19 pandemic gave Williams an extra year to beat Auburn’s victories record, which may be impossible given his five years of eligibility rather than the customary four. Williams broke the record in November, when Auburn defeated Southeastern Louisiana in its first game of the season. He enters the 2023-24 season tied for the record with Allen Flanigan. However, with Flanigan’s transfer to Ole Miss, Williams may take it on his own.
Head coach Bruce Pearl has frequently discussed Williams’ decision to stay at Auburn for all these years. He stayed after Auburn added Jabari Smith to play over him, and Auburn went on to win the SEC in 2022. He stayed after graduation. He stayed for five years, which is unusual in the modern college game.
Pearl understands it’s a cliché, but he believes it’s just something unique about Auburn.
“I believe the first thing that will stand out to me is how much they love Auburn and Auburn loves them,” Pearl said Saturday. “I know it sounds silly. It is not. It is real. They adore Auburn and are grateful for the opportunity it has provided. They adore our supporters. They enjoy playing in front of the Jungle and Neville Arena. They are grateful. Yes, they are. I suppose that’s why guys stay for four or five years.
That is why it hasn’t felt like a revolving door. It has far less to do with me and my coaching staff than with our university and community – how they are treated and served. “That stands out to me.”
Williams developed this year, having his finest season to date. He reached 1,000 career points and is averaging a career high 12.9 points per game. This year, he’s shot about 57% from the field, which is definitely his career high. He ended his final home game with 13 points, including one 3-pointer, adding to Williams’ season-long shooting percentage of over 40%.
But perhaps the fact that Williams is standing here at all is equally essential.
It appeared that his career had ended on the same level back inHis knee twisted awkwardly. The injury was frightening. It exhibited all the characteristics of a season-ending ACL injury. But Williams and Auburn got lucky. There was no harm.
Just some soreness, and Williams only missed one game.
He would still be able to depart Auburn on his own terms, after being a part of such a great era of winning basketball for a team with little pedigree at a largely football-driven school in a football-driven league.
So on Saturday, perhaps it was a little more remarkable. Williams completed the dunk and strolled off the court with ease, as if it were any other game. He joined his teammates for a prayer at center court, like they normally do after a game. He signed autographs as he returned to the changing room.
