1988–89 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1988–89 Auburn Tigers Auburn Tigers logo.svg 125 Southeastern Conference SEC 9–19 2–16 Sonny Smith 11th Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum The 1988–89 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1988–89 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Sonny Smith, who was in his eleventh and final season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 9–19, 2–16 in SEC play. They lost to Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/auburn/1989-schedule.html 1988-89 Auburn Tigers Schedule and Results 9 December 2016 The Tigers' season was beset with many problems. Junior forward John Caylor, expected to be a key contributor this season, was lost after five games due to a life-threatening blood clot in his shoulder.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-03-10-9003103968-story.html AFTER RECENT TRAGEDY, CAYLOR PONDERS FUTURE Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel Staff OrlandoSentinel.com Junior guard Derrick Dennison, another key contributor from last season, quit the team over a feud with Coach Smith about a reduced role, but later returned. Additionally, forward Kelvin Ardister, a junior-college transfer, and freshman guard Johnny Benjamin were both dismissed from the team after seven games for violating team rules.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/01/09/Auburns-second-leading-scorer-Derrick-Dennison-quit-the-basketball/1078600325200/ Auburn's second leading scorer, Derrick Dennison, quit the basketball... UPI Prior to his dismissal, Benjamin had been arrested and jailed on two misdemeanor charges, criminal trespassing and third-degree theft of property, when he entered a student's off-campus apartment and took an undisclosed amount of money.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-01-10-8901110189-story.html TROUBLED BENJAMIN JAILED IN AUBURN Barry Cooper and Mike Huguenin of The Sentinel Staff OrlandoSentinel.com After the season, coach Sonny Smith resigned and took the head coaching position at VCU.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-03-20-8903200346-story.html SONNY TO VCU Orlando Sentinel OrlandoSentinel.com Roster 1988 Auburn Tigers y yes John Caylor 22 F 6 6 Jr y Talbott, Tennessee Morristown West High School Matt Geiger 25 C 7 0 So y Clearwater, FL Countryside High School Keenan Carpenter 30 G 6 3 Sr y Rutherfordton, Tennessee Derrick Dennison 24 G 6 4 Jr y Atlanta, Georgia Douglass High School Kirt Hankton 3 G 6 4 Jr y New Orleans, Louisiana De LaSalle High School Johnny Benjamin 12 G 6 2 Fr y Orlando, Florida Central Florida Academy Reggie Gallon 14 G 5 10 Fr y Miami, Florida Miami Edison High School Kelvin Ardister 15 F 6 5 Jr y Decatur, Georgia Southwest DeKalb High School Dustin Hester 20 G 6 2 So y Crestview, Alabama Crestview High School Ronnie Battle 21 G 6 1 So y Pittsview, Alabama Chavala High School Robert McKie 34 F 6 5 So y Miami, Florida Miami Carol City High School Sonny Smith (Milligan College) Schedule and results no yes |- !colspan=12 style=Auburn Tigers| Regular season 89-83 Nov 26, 1988 yes Mount St. Mary's 1-0 Auburn, AL Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum 74-70 Nov 29, 1988 yes Georgia State 2-0 Auburn, AL Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum 87-66 Dec 3, 1988 yes Mercer 3-0 Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL 109-81 Dec 10, 1988 yes Texas Southern Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL 4-0 77-93 Dec 14, 1988 yes Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN 4-1 (0-1) Dec 17, 1988 yes Jackson State 5-1 Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL 74-51 85-79 Dec 20, 1988 yes yes Virginia Commonwealth 6-1 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA 83-84 Dec 28,1988 yes yes Villanova Red Lobster Classic 6-2 Orange County Civic Center Orlando, FL 95-68 Dec 29, 1988 yes yes Central Florida Red Lobster Classic 7-2 Orange County Civic Center Orlando, FL 73-84 Jan 4, 1989 17 Tennessee 7-3 (0-2) Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL AP Poll SE Southeast Central References 2 Category:Auburn Tigers men's basketball seasons Auburn Auburn Tigers Auburn Tigers