Auburn basketball: Why all my homies hate the G-League

Throughout his time with Auburn basketball, Bruce Pearl has shown that he is a capable recruiter, but there is one rival that the Tigers can’t seem to beat out when it comes to recruiting. The NBA G-League is becoming notorious for snatching up talented high school recruits, especially ones that have been the focus of Auburn’s recruiting.

For example, many Auburn fans thought the basketball program was going to land 5-star recruit Jalen Green in the recruiting class of 2020. The California native decided to go pro instead, committing to play for the G-League Ignite, which is a developmental team that plays exhibition games outside of the official G-League schedule to elevate elite NBA prospects.

Green later told basketball analyst Jeff Goodman that he would have attended Auburn had he chosen to go to college, which began the Auburn basketball fans’ hatred of the G-League:

And now, it seems as though Pearl and the Tigers may miss out on another 5-star recruit due to the allure of going pro. Scoot Henderson, who has been recruited by Pearl for several years now, is expected to make some sort of announcement on Friday, which everyone assumes will be his commitment decision.

Though he’s expected to skip college altogether and choose the G-League due to being “somewhat absent” from the AAU circuit this spring, it could also indicate that the point guard intends to reclassify from the class of 2022 to that of 2021, according to BamaInsider. If he doesn’t go pro, it’s most likely that Henderson would reclassify to play for Auburn basketball.

The other programs in the mix for Henderson include Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas. Although he is a Georgia native, the Bulldogs’ program would be a long shot for the talented PG after their rough 2020 season and their trend of missing out on the NCAA tournament. Alabama is already out of scholarship spots to offer, and it’s unlikely he would commit to Arkansas.

We’ll have to wait until Friday for Henderson’s official announcement, but don’t hold your breath, Tiger fans. It’s looking like the G-League will be taking another good one.