With basketball only a few months away, Auburn basketball fans should get to know the new additions to the team. Bruce Pearl’s fourth season on the Plains is expected to be an improvement from past seasons.
The Tigers possess great depth at almost every position and considerable talent across the board, which will hopefully result in a team that will contend in the SEC and
Most of Auburn’s talent returns for the first time during the Bruce Pearl era, including star sophomores Mustapha Heron and Austin Wiley.
However, Auburn did lose some depth with the departures of point guard Ronnie Johnson, center LaRon Smith, guard T.J. Dunans, forward Devin Waddell and shooting guard TJ Lang who decided to transfer to the University of South Florida.
So, with a considerable amount of experience leaving the Tigers from last year, who has Bruce Pearl and company added to the roster in order to build a contending team in the SEC?
Below is a list of scholarship players who are entering the Auburn basketball program for the first time.
Chuma Okeke
According to ESPN, Okeke is the 48th overall ranked player in the 2017 recruiting class and the highest touted player of all of Auburn’s newcomers. The
The 6-foot-8-inch forward was named to the U.S. U-19 team this summer but had to leave the team early due to a knee injury.
The 230-pound forward can play both forward spots for the Tigers and is a matchup nightmare due to his size and ability to score inside and out, as well as the ability to crash the glass at a high rate.
Davion Mitchell
The
Mitchell has been committed to Bruce Pearl’s Tigers for nearly two years and chose Auburn over offers from schools like Louisville and Memphis.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound point guard is an extremely quick, athletic finisher and lock-down defender.
Mitchell should challenge sophomore Jared Harper for the starting point guard spot this fall and will add
Malik Dunbar
A junior college transfer from the College of Central Florida, Dunbar will come to Auburn as a junior with two years of eligibility left.
He averaged 16.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals last year at the junior college level. Dunbar was also a South Carolina Class 4A first team all-state selection in high school.
At 6-foot-6-inch and 230-pounds, Dunbar is a physical defender who uses his body to get to the rim and finish strong.
He can play both guard and forward and will bring physicality to the team, something the Tigers lacked last year.
Samir Doughty
A tall guard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Doughty will join the program after transferring from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Doughty will have to sit out this year after transferring and will have two years of eligibility left.
Doughty played 23 minutes a game averaging 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a redshirt freshman at VCU; he will bring versatility and experience at both guard spots in 2018.
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