NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 31 in 2023-24 season

10. Chaney Johnson (Auburn)

Prior to this season, Johnson had spent the last three seasons at Alabama-Huntsville, a D2 school in his home state. Johnson’s solid play in Huntsville caught the eyes of many coaches and eventually led to Bruce Pearl giving him a shot with the Tigers. He joined Auburn this past offseason and didn’t exactly become a star, but would certainly play a role in their season’s developments.

Johnson averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds a game while making 58% of his 2-point attempts as a backup forward for the Tigers. He provided necessary frontcourt depth for Auburn and had pretty solid metrics, even though he had issues with foul trouble. Again, Johnson wasn’t a starter or major piece for the Tigers, though he did help them finish 2nd in a strong SEC and got his first taste at the NCAA Tournament.

Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds against Southeastern Louisiana early in the year and scored 15 points against Alabama A&M a few games later. The opponents against which he had his best games weren’t exactly the elite teams on Auburn’s schedule, though Johnson did score 16 points in a win over Georgia and almost had a double-double against Florida. Can Johnson take a measured step forward next season and be more than just a depth piece?