Friday, March 3 Porter the key to Auburn's recent turnaround By Pat Forde Special to ESPN.com

Cliff Ellis is lobbying. He is politicking. He is, to select the most accurate verb, begging.

The gist of his plea: Let Chris Porter pay his debt and play more ball in an Auburn uniform. This is a good kid on target to graduate who bypassed the NBA last year for a final season in college.

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"Chris admitted to a mistake," Ellis said. "He has been honest and forthcoming. I'm now hoping that honesty prevails and Chris will be allowed back on the court."

The subtitled version: Without him we're sunk.

Ellis has experienced life without Porter, and it's far from the thrill ride of the past two seasons. History both recent and relatively ancient (two years ago) tells him how important the 6-foot-7 power forward has been to his program.

Recent history: The Tigers were obliterated 88-59 at Florida on Sunday, when Porter was sent home prior to the game for accepting money that apparently came from an agent. Relatively ancient history: While Porter was dunking everything in sight in junior college, Auburn was muddling through a 16-14 season that concluded in the NIT.

Ellis' Auburn record with Porter: 50-9.

Ellis' Auburn record without Porter: 67-56.

Ellis' SEC record with Porter: 23-6.

Ellis' SEC record without Porter: 26-39.

NCAA Tournament bids with Porter: two in two seasons (he isn't likely to play this March, but the Tigers wouldn't have gotten there without him).

NCAA Tournament bids without Porter: zero in four seasons.

SEC Coach of the Year awards with Porter: one.

SEC Coach of the Year awards without Porter: zero.

So now you know why even the governor of Alabama, Don Siegelman, has vouched for the state's prized power forward.

"Don't let anybody think for a second that this was Chris Porter's fault, because it wasn't," Siegelman said.

And don't let anybody think for a second that Auburn is a viable commodity in the SEC or NCAA tournaments without Porter. A huge question for the NCAA selection committee is how to seed the Tigers, who clearly would not be a national title contender without Porter.

Lobbying aside, Ellis sounds like a coach who knows he's fighting a lost cause. He sounds like a coach preparing for March without his star player.

"You have to put it behind you," Ellis said. "You have to move on. You have to take that stance with it. Take the arsenal you have left and make the most of it."

Certainly, Porter has some capable teammates. Point guard Doc Robinson is the leading practitioner of his craft in the SEC and the true pulse of the Tigers. Scott Pohlman is a deadly outside shooter. Seven-foot center Mamadou N'diaye is a pro prospect.

But Auburn would still be a football school if it weren't for Porter.

This certainly wouldn't be the first time a program rode the back of a star recruit to newfound prosperity. (See: Massachusetts with Marcus Camby and Lou Roe, Miami of Ohio with Wally Szczerbiak, Wyoming with Fennis Dembo -- and, for fans of ancient history, Austin Peay with Fly Williams.) But it underscores the fact that college basketball programs really can turn on a single player, more so than any other sport.

Like Roe and Dembo, Porter is far from a can't-miss pro. His game decreases as his distance from the basket increases, and 6-7 is a bit stubby for an NBA power forward these days.

But there have been scads of program-elevating collegians who couldn't get it done as pros. Indiana wouldn't have won the 1987 national title without Steve Alford and Providence wouldn't have reached that same Final Four without Billy Donovan -- both of whom have had much better careers as coaches than NBA players.

Ellis has recruited well enough the past two years that Auburn isn't likely to slide back onto the slag heap. Point guard Jamison Brewer hasn't had the expected impact as a freshman (2.3 points and 2.3 assists per game), but he's shown the potential that made him a recruiting coup. And next year Ellis brings in 6-9 Abdou Diame from Oak Hill Academy, generally considered a national top-20 prospect.

With Diarra following N'diaye, the Tigers have developed a pipeline to a rich cache of African talent being imported to the U.S. Given the internationalization of the game and the increasing risks of recruiting American stars -- will they be eligible? when do they go pro? -- that's as good a niche as any.

But nobody is ready to assert that Diarra is the next Porter, or that Auburn will be back in the top 10 again next season. And unless the NCAA acts with unexpected leniency and allows Porter to play, Auburn could return to its humble roots before next season gets here. The Tigers' season could be up in flames just as it reaches its expected climax in March.

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