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Year Overall SEC .
2004-05 14-17 4-12 (t-5th, West)
2005-06 12-16 4-12 (t-5th, West)
2006-07 17-15 7-9 (t-3rd, West)
2007-08 14-16 4-12 (6th, West)
2008-09 24-12 10-6 (2nd, West)
2009-10 15-17 6-10 (5th, West)
Total 96-93 (.508) 35-61 (.365)

Five big wins

1. Auburn 89, Mississippi State 80 – March 3, 2010 – A little more than one week before he was fired, Lebo and the senior-led Tigers closed out Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum in style with a momentous victory.
2. Auburn 61, Florida 58 – SEC tournament quarterfinals, March 13, 2009 – Quantez Robertson’s late block sealed the Tigers’ ninth win in 10 games and vaulted them into the SEC semifinals – the farthest Auburn ever made it under Lebo.
3. Auburn 77, Alabama 73 – March 3, 2009 – The Tigers rallied to clinch an SEC Tournament bye, a 20-win season and the third of four consecutive victories over their in-state rival.
4. Auburn 83, Tennessee 80 – Jan. 17, 2007 – Lebo picked up his first victory against ranked competition with the help of 24 points from Frank Tolbert and four clutch free throws from Quan Prowell.
5. Auburn 74, Tulsa 55 – NIT second round, March 20, 2009 – The Tigers romp over the Golden Hurricane gave Auburn 24 wins for the season, which tied for second-most in program history.

Five big losses

1. Alabama 93, Auburn 54 – March 2, 2005 - Lebo’s first trip to Tuscaloosa was forgettable, as the Tigers were outscored by 30 in the second half.
2. Sam Houston State 107, Auburn 89 – Dec. 20, 2009 – Perhaps serving an omen for things to come, the Tigers fell behind early and got bludgeoned in the paint and beyond the arc by the mid-major Bearkats.
3. Tennessee 94, Auburn 85 – SEC Tournament semifinals, March 14, 2009 – The Tigers were likely one win away from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, but the Volunteers prevented it from ever happening by avenging an earlier loss in the season to Auburn.
4. Ole Miss 85, Auburn 75 – Feb. 24, 2010 – For the fourth time, the Tigers let a double-digit lead on the road evaporate during a poor second half.
5. Florida 78, Auburn 69 – March 11, 2010 – Lebo’s fate may have already been sealed, but the Tigers didn’t do much to make a last-second case for him to return in Thursday’s loss.

(Photo credit: Todd Van Emst)

Andrew Gribble

Auburn University beat reporter

Jay Jacobs speaks about Auburn’s new job opening

Posted by Andrew Gribble on 03/12 at 06:41 PM
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Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs just spoke to a handful of reporters here in the Rane Room.

Video cameras were not on. Recorders were.

Here’s what we learned.

- This search won’t be conducted as swiftly as the one for the football coach. The upcoming NCAA Tournament will slow it down “tremendously,“ Jacobs said.

- Jacobs has a short list of candidates already listed. Just like for football.

- The status of Auburn’s assistant coaches is uncertain. Senior Associate Athletic Director Bernard Hill plans to meet with the group soon.

- Jacobs gushed about Lebo for a good minute before explaining why he ultimately decided to fire him.

“The No. 1 thing is winning,“ Jacobs said.

- Here’s what Jacobs wants in his ideal candidate.

“I’m looking for the best guy for them. An Auburn man that is the right fit for those current players and those signees that we have that represent them, represent this athletic department, represent the university and the Auburn family. That’s what we’re going to look for.“

- Jacobs is uncertain whether he will hire a search firm to aid in the search.

- Jacobs doesn’t think it’s impossible to field a winning basketball program at Auburn.

“There’s no one real answer there. You know, basketball in this league is tough. You know, you’ve got a team that won the West last year and they’re last this year. It’s just a competitive league. But I just believe we can win championships. I believe we ought to be playing for championships and it doesn ‘t matter to me what the sport is. I believe we better be playing for championships and graduating our student-athletes. I believe that’s what the Auburn people expect and me being one of the, I expect that. I believe being a steward of the athletics department, I’ve got to give those guys and these families that make a commitment to this institution, as far as the student-athlete, I’ve got to give them the best chance to get that degree and compete for championships.“

- Jacobs said he plans to be “competitive” when it comes to the new coach’s salary.

(Photo credit: Todd Van Emst)

Andrew Gribble

Auburn University beat reporter

Nell Fortner weighs in on Lebo’s dismissal

Posted by Andrew Gribble on 03/12 at 05:13 PM
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Just got off the phone with women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner, who recently landed at the Auburn airport after a recruiting trip.

She was saddened by the news of Jeff Lebo’s dismissal.

Lebo and Fortner were hired in the same year by acting athletic director Hal Baird.

They were pretty close.

Here’s what Fortner had to say.

(Your thoughts?)
“I just enjoyed working alongside him. We had a great relationship. We had no problems. We were very supportive of each other. It’s a tough day. It’s just a tough day.“

(Is this another example of how tough the coaching biz can be?)
“It is, but it’s the business we’re in. We know that that could happen. We know how we’re evaluated and it does not make our job any easier but I think we all understand that. But I think the sad thing here is I think he’s a phenomenal coach. He’s a great person, great family. He was good for the community and he just had some tough breaks along the way with injuries. It’s just a sad day because he’s a great coach.“

(How much can one or two bad recruiting classes affect a program?)
“I think that’s very obvious. That class helped us turn our program around. Recruiting is your lifeblood. You have to have players. That’s what we do. We recruit to win ballgames and when the class falls through, that’s tough to overcome when it’s about wins and losses.“

(Disappointing he didn’t get a shot in the new arena?)
“Very much. I hate it that he’s not going to be able to enjoy that because it was probably something that would help him in recruiting. I know it has helped us and I hate it that he’s not going to be able to get in that building and be able to use it for his team and for recruiting. It’s a tough day, really, it is.“

(Is this a good situation for a new coach to come into?)
“I think it will. I think it’s something that someone can look at and feel like they can recruit to with the dorm situation right there and the academics. I think it will definitely and should help in attracting some real quality student athletes so it should be attractive to a large number of coaches.“

(Photo credit: Todd Van Emst)

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