Auburn has not had a player selected in the NBA Draft since 2001 when Jamison Brewer was drafted in the second round by the Indiana Pacers. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is ready to change that.
Auburn will host its inaugural Pro Day on Oct. 11, Pearl announced in a release Thursday evening.
NBA general managers, front office personnel and scouts will be welcomed inside Auburn Arena to evaluate the talent the Tigers have on their roster.
“Our job as coaches is to help our student-athletes achieve at the highest level,” Pearl said. “For our players, it does not get any higher than the NBA. Auburn basketball has had some great NBA players in Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, Chris Morris, John Mengelt and Marquis Daniels to name a few. We have some guys on this roster that will join them.”
The Tigers return two five-stars in Mustapha Heron and Austin Wiley. Danjel Purifoy and Chuma Okeke are also prospects NBA scouts have their eyes on.
Heron became Auburn’s first Freshman All-SEC selection since 2007 after breaking an Auburn freshman record by scoring in double figures in his first 25 games. The Waterbury, Conn., native reached double figures in 30-of-31 games, was ninth in the SEC in scoring and led the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Wiley was the only player on the United States to average a double-double with 10.3 points and 10.9 rebounds as the team captain leading USA Basketball to medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, this past summer.
Purifoy, who scored a career-high 27 points vs. Boston College in Madison Square Garden, ranked sixth in the SEC in free throw pct. and 3-point field goals made per game, eighth in 3-point field goal pct. and ninth in steals.
Freshman Chuma Okeke, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball, was a finalist for USA Basketball’s U19 World Cup Team before sustaining an injury prior to the final roster being announced. Okeke was the only Tiger to average a double-double with 11.0 points and a team-high 12.5 rebounds in Auburn’s four-game Italy Tour in August.
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