Auburn basketball: Bruce Pearl says several guys have NBA potential

The Auburn basketball season is officially finished due to the self-imposed post-season ban, and many questions have been left unanswered at the end of the season. With no more games to watch, Auburn fans are left wondering–if standout freshman Sharife Cooper will play another season on the Plains, if Justin Powell will get to play again, and who will return for the 2021-22 season.

The youngest team in college basketball had a season full of ups and downs and adversity beyond just that of the global pandemic. In the final game, a rescheduled matchup between the Tigers and Mississippi State in Auburn Arena, head coach Bruce Pearl said that his guys “finished on a high note.”

Though neither were able to play in Bruce Pearl’s 600th win, both Justin Powell and Sharife Cooper were on the bench in street clothes to support their teammate. Powell has been out for months on concussion protocol, and Cooper missed the last four games of the season due to an ankle injury.

While most Auburn basketball fans knew going into this season that it could be the first and last season in orange and blue for Sharife Cooper, Bruce Pearl said that several players could be moving up to the next level, per OA News.

During the offseason, players could seek an evaluation from scouts and consider moving up to the NBA or decide to return to play another year on the Plains. Whether or not Auburn basketball loses a couple of players in the offseason, it’s clear that these guys intend to work hard and come back at the top of the SEC rankings next season.