Hall, Pettiford will not transfer, will play for Steven Pearl

New Auburn head coach Steven Pearl announced on Wednesday following the Tigers’ Pro Day that Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall would not be entertaining the transfer portal and would remain with the team.

Both players told their teammates of their intentions before Pro Day.

“Everyone we had this summer is going to be in an Auburn uniform this season,” Pearl said.

The team was given a 30-day transfer window, according to NCAA rules, following Bruce Pearl’s retirement, though the fall semester has begun at most schools.

“Throughout the process, through some conversations with families and the players with the team, just trying to allow them to process this in their own time…we want guys that want to be here and we want guys that want to continue to keep this thing moving in the right direction,” Pearl said.

“I asked both these guys if they were comfortable with me sharing it, but both Tahaad and Keyshawn told the team today that they were planning on coming back and being at Auburn this year, not entering the transfer portal. They wanted to stick it out with this group. That is what they want to do.

“That’s really good news for the program that we’re going to keep this group together for the upcoming season.”

Pearl held one-on-one meetings with players since his announcement as head coach. College programs have reached out to the agents of both Hall and Pettiford, but both will stay loyal to the Tigers. Pettiford’s father was in attendance at Pro Day and held in-face meetings with Auburn’s staff on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

AuburnSports spoke with sources regarding Pettiford and his development as practice began and here’s what was relayed:

For Tahaad specifically, it’s about being more of a leader with this group, having been the main returner, offensively he’s doing a lot of the same things — taking and making difficult shots. He’s doing a better job being a facilitator. Defensively, he’s made some real strides in his on-ball defense and understanding what Auburn is doing off the ball. Overall, continuing to grow, continuing to get better.

Tahaad’s biggest thing is just going to be adjusting to being the main guy in the scouting report every night, and how he’s going to handle that. It’ll help if Auburn can surround him with guys who can make shots and spread the floor. But he’s obviously got to be more willing to trust his teammates, which the staff thinks he will, because he’s going to need to rely on them this year — he’s going to be the main target. It’ll be a great challenge for Pettiford to grow in that area, and the staff has all the confidence that he can do it.

AuburnSports also spoke with sources regarding Hall’s development:

Keyshawn Hall, last year’s Big 12 leading scorer, came to Auburn looking to be a winner. He wants to go to the NCAA Tournament and win big games, not just score points. His unselfishness this summer stood out — his willingness to get others involved shows his mindset. At the end of the day, he’s still a gifted scorer, and that’s what Auburn will need him to do. This fall, he’s shooting better percentages, has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, and is one of the team’s leading rebounders. He probably gets fouled every time he goes to the rim, and he’s still working on finishing through that contact. He’s gotten more comfortable with his spots, and he’s going to be a really important piece for Auburn.

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