NCAA Basketball: Class of 2022’s No. 2 recruit Jalen Duren release top 11 list
By Ian Mumm
Auburn Tigers
The 2020 season included many swings for the Auburn Tigers. The arrival of 5-star point guard Sharife Cooper brought along heightened expectations for the program, in addition to the signing of forward JT Thor to pair with solid pieces Allen Flanigan and Justin Powell. However, a delayed NCAA approval and subsequent injury to Cooper turned developing momentum into a sore spot for the team. Further periodic injuries to Flanigan and Powell completely derailed the Tigers season when Cooper was unavailable.
Despite the let-down and Cooper’s announcement to enter the NBA Draft with an agent, head coach Bruce Pearl has been actively working to ensure next year’s roster is a successful one. Pearl was able to reel in 5-star forward Jabari Smith and landed former 5-star center Walker Kessler (UNC) and guard Desi Sills against conference foe Arkansas.
These additions certainly help to shore up the morale entering next season, especially in the frontcourt that already features Thor, Dylan Cardwell, and Babatunde Akingbola.
Auburn will not deny the addition of a player of Duren’s caliber, because any school would be crazy to. However, there are already a lot of capable bodies on this roster that would suggest the Tigers are not the chosen option that would wow the star center.
The reason they make the final cut and could potentially still play a role for Duren’s recruitment is that Thor, Smith, and Kessler each have the potential to leave for the NBA Draft at any moment opening up significant time for Duren to dominate minutes. This option is more of a “wait and see” threat.