After missing out on the commitment of an elite shooting guard in Arkansas Little Rock's Rayjon Tucker, Auburn basketball is chasing another grad transfer target.
Bruce Pearl and the Tigers are among the five teams "in the mix" for USC grad transfer guard Derryck Thorton, CBS Sports's Jon Rothstein reported Monday morning.
Thorton, a 6-foot-3 combo guard, started 27 of 32 games for the Trojans last year, averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 assists per night.
He committed to Duke before the 2015-16 season as a five-star point guard prospect from Henderson, Nevada. After one year with the Blue Devils, he transferred to USC for a pair of seasons.
Thorton graduated from Southern California earlier this month and would be immediately eligible at his school of choice next season.
Hot off its best season in program history after a first-ever Final Four berth last month, Auburn will be looking to replace the production of both its starting guards — Jared Harper and Bryce Brown. Harper is 14th in scoring in Auburn history, and his 231 assists last season is the best single-season mark in program history. Meanwhile, Brown finished his career with the most 3-pointers in Auburn history and the second-most in SEC history.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
