Since Auburn's basketball season ended with a 15-20 mark in March, two forwards have left the program -- Matthew Atewe and Alex Thompson.
During a Tiger Trek stop in Atlanta Wednesday, Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl told AL.com each player made the decision to leave on their own.
"Both of those guys, it was their choice," Pearl said. "In my history, 20 years as a head coach, I can hardly remember more than a time or two where I had a hard conversation with a student-athlete and spelled out the challenges of being able to contribute the following year. Some people call it running off, but I don't run people off. I just flat out don't and I never have."
After averaging 1.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, Atewe sat out the 2014-15 season due to an injury to his surgically-repaired leg he suffered in the team's preseason exhibition. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder was expected to play a factor in the frontcourt, but will now get a fresh start at Washington.
"If you look at his history, several different high schools, several different AAU programs," Pearl said. "Coach Barbee recruited him, I was coaching him a little bit. I must not have pushed the right buttons with Matt. He was a very good student and good kid, good family. Would have loved to have him."
Thompson took an undisclosed leave of absence after his freshman season, in which he averaged 1 point and 1.5 rebounds per game. He returned to the team seven games into the 2014-15 campaign.
His shining moment came in the SEC Tournament, when he scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting to help the undermanned Tigers upset Mississippi State in the first round. Pearl expects Thompson to land at a mid-major school with hopes of making a bigger impact.
"I made sure Alex understood that if he didn't come back, we don't beat Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament in Nashville without him," Pearl said. "He was a good teammate and was well liked, but I understood his decision to drop down to mid-major where he could be a more dominant player on a team.
"I understand both cases and scholarships are precious. Having those scholarships back to continue to grow and develop the program, it's a win-win. I hope everyone we have comes back."
Auburn capped a top 15 signing class with the signing of four-star power forward Horace Spencer, who is ranked as the No. 62 overall player.
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"We have six or seven new players and it's a complete roster readjustment again, but the program is in a position I feel really good about the class who is coming in," he said. "I think this is a group that can compete in the middle of the league. If you're in the middle of the league, you can be in the bubble. If you're in the bubble you can be in the tournament."
The Tigers haven't made the Big Dance since 2003, the longest drought in the SEC.
"Next year, that's what our goals are -- to be a tournament team," he said. "I feel like we have a better roster to do that. We've got a lot of work to do. When you bring that many new people together, it will have it's challenges, but there's more pieces to work with so I'm excited about it."
Watch AL.com's full interview with Pearl in the video above.