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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn point guard Jared Harper to enter NBA Draft, will not hire agent

"This is a great opportunity for him to go through the process, get evaluated and grow his game. We’re excited for Jared."

Four days after two-year leading scorer Mustapha Heron declared for the NBA Draft, sophomore point guard Jared Harper will go through the league's draft process.

Harper will not hire an agent, therefore the Mableton, Georgia, native will be allowed to return to school for his last two seasons, if he so chooses. 

“Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine,” Harper said. “I’m very thankful for how God has guided me through this journey along with the continuous support from my family. I would like to thank Coach Pearl, the entire coaching staff, my teammates and the fans for the continued support. War Eagle!”

Harper tied the Auburn record for fourth-most assists in a season in 2017-18 (Gerald White, 1984-85), racking up 185 in the team's SEC Championship season.

“Jared had a great sophomore season leading Auburn to a conference championship and being an all-conference player,” Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl said. “This is a great opportunity for him to go through the process, get evaluated and grow his game. We’re excited for Jared.” 

Harper was the floor general for the high-flying Tiger offense last season, which averaged the most points per game (82) on The Plains in 27 years. The 5-foot-10 guard scored double digits in 17 of the team's 18 SEC contests and in 27 games overall.

In both the SEC coaches and AP lists, Harper was named Second Team All-SEC, finishing with an average of 13.2 points to 5.4 assists.

Auburn could now lose both of its point guards from last season, as freshman Davion Mitchell announced his intent to transfer from the program March 29. However, the NBA Draft news from Heron and Harper came as no surprise to Pearl, who said after Auburn's NCAA Tournament loss to Clemson that fans shouldn't push the "panic button" when the declarations begin.

"I expect four or five guys to put their name in for the draft and get evaluated," Pearl said. "Fans should not push the panic button. That’s just part of the process. Our job is to help get them from here to there. Until they go through the process, they don’t know how far or how close they are to being able to realize their goals and their dreams. 

"But going through the process now, and if the information they receive is that they’re most likely not going to be drafted, it just puts them in a stronger position next year."

Auburn has seen this coming since the start of the new year, as Pearl said on Jan. 16 that he expected both Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy to test the NBA Draft waters. 

Since then, Purifoy has been ruled eligible for the 2018-19 season and has reiterated that he intends to return to The Plains for his junior season. He and Wiley sat out all of last year thanks to the FBI investigation. 

Wiley is eligible outright, while Purifoy will have to sit out the first nine or 10 games.

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New NCAA rules allow for players to test their draft stock while remaining eligible to return to their school. Prospects can go through the draft combine and hold one NBA tryout before the withdrawal date of June 11. Tigers like Wiley or 2018 SEC 3-point leader Bryce Brown have until April 22 to submit their names to the league. 


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