Among Bruce Pearl’s talented group of newcomers is senior point guard JP Pegues, a six-foot-two transfer from Furman who offers valuable experience and playmaking.
Pegues was rated the No. 28 overall player in the transfer portal this past offseason by On3 and was graded as the No. 11 point guard by 247Sports. He spent a successful first three years with the Paladins, where he played in 95 games, starting in 66 of them.
The Nashville native is most known for his magical game-winning shot to propel 13th seeded Furman past No. 4 Virginia in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Trailing by a couple of points in desperation time against the Cavaliers with the season on the line, Furman intercepted a careless pass from Virginia and immediately found Pegues on the right wing. Pegues launched a deep three and drained it, putting the Paladins up 68-67 with two seconds to go and securing one of the most memorable upsets in tournament history. This came just days after Pegues led Furman to its first conference title since 1980.
Pegues proved to be Furman’s best player during his time in Greenville, S.C. and was highly touted by others in his former league.
"JP is a winner," Pearl said after Pegues announced his commitment. "He is a scoring point guard that has great ability to shoot the basketball. He can score at all three levels, defend and lead. Talking to several great coaches in the SoCon, they unanimously believed he was the best player in their league this season.”
Along with transfer portal additions Miles Kelly and Ja’Heim Hudson, Pegues is another veteran component that the Tigers will utilize come March. These three portal acquisitions are just a few of Auburn’s 10 seniors on the roster.
Following the departure of sophomore Tre Donaldson and five-star freshman Aden Holloway at the conclusion of last season, Pearl and company had no option but to find a reliable point guard that could present a steady threat in the backcourt. Auburn’s point guard play was inconsistent at times last year, as Donaldson and Holloway struggled to take control of the team. Donaldson averaged 6.7 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game while Holloway manufactured 7.3 PPG and 1.5 RPG. The Tigers did not have a devoted starter, which is unlike most Pearl-coached squads we’ve seen during his time at Auburn.
Pegues, however, managed to produce 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during his junior campaign. He also earned many honors during his time in the Southern Conference, including being named 2022-23 SoCon Tournament Most Valuable Player, 2023-24 Preseason All-SoCon, 2023-24 All-SoCon First Team and was a two-time SoCon All-Tournament Team member (2022-23 and 2023-24). He has shown to be a floor general that takes command of the offense with his elite scoring ability while also playing with great effort on the defensive end of the floor.
It is expected that Pearl looks to Pegues for leadership, production and dependable point guard play in hopes of big improvement from last season at the position.
Pegues will play his first game in an Auburn uniform against his former team as the Tigers will face Furman in an exhibition matchup on Sunday, October 27. The game will tipoff at 12 p.m. CST at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
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Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
