Bruce Pearl has turned Auburn basketball into a real destination for some of the top high school basketball talent in the country.
According to 247Sports, Bruce Pearl has been responsible for landing the Top-5 highest-rated recruits in the history of Auburn basketball recruiting.
This past season, Jabari Smith took the crown as the highest rated recruit for Auburn basketball as he surpassed Isaac Okoro who is now playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As the dead period has officially ended, Pearl will be hosting 2022 4-star Nick Smith Jr. & 2023 Top-30 Juniors Chase Clemons and Efrem Johnson on Auburn’s campus today:
Auburn will have three visitors on campus starting today. Headlined by official visitor, five-star Nick Smith Jr., the Tigers will also host Top-30 junior Chase Clemmons and Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) June 4, 2021
Nice recruiting day for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers.
Smith Jr. just visited Bama.
Smith is the #25 overall player and #2 shooting guard in the 2022 class out of Sylvan Hills, AR. Smith holds offers from almost 30 of the top college basketball programs from around the country. According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, Kentucky may be the leader for Smith but this recruitment is far from over. Smith visited Alabama on June 1st and has visits to Georgetown and Kansas scheduled after he leaves the Plains.
The guard position is a real need at Auburn right now after the transfer of Jamal Johnson and Justin Powell, while also losing Sharife Cooper to the NBA and losing the commitment of Trey Alexander.
The 2021-22 Auburn Basketball roster will largely depend on transfers at the Guard spot, such as Wendell Green and Zep Jasper, who both will aim to replace Cooper at the point guard spot. Allen Flanigan and K.D. Johnson will be the primary shooting guard, but behind them is a lack of real experience and one injury can change the outlook of this Auburn team as we saw this past season. Transfer Desi Stills could add depth, but the Tigers are in need of an influx of high school talent at shooting guard.
Chase Clemons and Efrem “Butta” Johnson are both young and the recruitment process is just beginning, but Auburn has already prioritized both of these young prospects for the 2023 class. Clemons is a point guard out of the Atlanta, GA area playing at Mount Vernon, while Johnson is a guard playing at Western Branch in Virginia.
Keep an eye on both of these young prospects as they head into their junior years and expect them to be near the top of Bruce Pearl’s wishlist.