NASHVILLE — Auburn basketball players went up one at a time.

Senior walk-on Jalen Harper was first, ascending the ladder parked under one of the baskets in Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. He used a pair of scissors to cut a piece of the net off the rim, just as his older brother − former Tigers star Jared Harper − did in the same building five years ago to the day.

Fifth-year senior Jaylin Williams followed Harper. Johni Broome and Chris Moore scaled the steps soon after. KD Johnson and Aden Holloway tried to go up the wrong side of the ladder before team personnel urged them to reconsider their decisions. They both did.

Florida International transfer Denver Jones, who already had his piece of the net firmly within his possession, had a thought: "Hey, get a piece for Lior (Berman)!" he shouted. Berman, a former walk-on who was put on scholarship ahead of the season, couldn't make the trip for the conference tournament while he rehabbed from the ACL injury he sustained against Mississippi State on March 2.

"We’ll get it," assistant coach Steven Pearl reassured Jones.

'HE'S THREE STEPS AHEAD': How Mike Burgomaster has become Auburn's offensive architect

HALFTIME: How Auburn got tough to beat Mississippi State after Chris Moore halftime speech

Auburn's 86-67 defeat of Florida and subsequent SEC Tournament title celebration was a direct reward for the team's collective sacrifice and desire to put one another above themselves: "I've never coached a team that got along better than this one," Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said while celebrating on the stage.

That camaraderie is one of the reasons this banner means more to Pearl than the three others he's previously won at Auburn.

"I told my son, we've won a few of these," Pearl said. "I think this one is the most special. Maybe it's because it's in my 10th year here at Auburn or because the bond that this team had. I wanted it really badly for these guys."

The fact that Pearl is now the only coach in program history to lead Auburn to multiple SEC Tournament titles may have sweetened this one, too. Sonny Smith brought the Tigers to back-to-back championship games in 1984 and 1985, dropping the first but winning the second.

Pearl won it in 2019 on the way to the Final Four.

"I'm there before anybody else, but I'm paid to be there before anybody else," Pearl said when told of his accomplishment before heaping praise on the leadership of All-SEC center Johni Broome, the patience of Jones and the improved play of point guards Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson.

"They know I make mistakes," Pearl said of his roster. "But I think they know I'm doing to it the best of my ability. I've got to overcome some of the crazy things they do, some of the decisions they make. They've got to overcome me, too. We forgive each other. ...

"I guess it's very much the sum of our parts."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Why Bruce Pearl's latest SEC title was his 'most special' at Auburn