Top Auburn basketball transfer portal target could ‘improve steadily in coming years’

With multiple players entering the transfer portal or declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft, Bruce Pearl definitely has some rebuilding to do when it comes to his Auburn basketball squad.

So far, freshmen Yohan Traore and Chance Westry, the latter of which took a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, have declared that they will enter the NCAA transfer portal ahead of the upcoming season. Wendell Green Jr. announced that he will declare for the NBA Draft and begin his professional career after two years on the Plains.

While the word is still out on if any other players will leave or return, there is no doubt that there are pieces to be added to the Auburn basketball team during this offseason. One of the Tigers’ top priorities so far is Micah Handlogten, a seven-foot-one center who played his first season of college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Handlogten averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and earned Sun Belt Freshman of the Year for the 2022-23 season. Although his free-throw shooting has been a bit of an issue, he was #10 in the country from 2-point range, and still has a lot of potential, per The Daily Hoosier:

"A starter in 26 of Marshall’s 32 games, Handlogten saw his minutes generally increase as the season progressed.  Also a former all-state lacrosse player in high school, he seems to be a player who will improve steadily in the coming years."

Auburn basketball is one of eight schools Micah Handlogten is considering

Earlier this week, the center announced his top eight transfer destinations, including Auburn, Florida, Illinois, NC State, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, and Missouri, and already has a visit set to Florida.

Handlogten told 247Sports that he’s already had several phone calls with Bruce Pearl, and he looks forward to meeting him in person. He also noted that Pearl gave him examples of similar players that the Tigers have developed that have made it to the next level (we have to assume that Walker Kessler was mentioned in this conversation).

Though no visit to the Plains has been set in stone, it seems that the Tigers have a pretty good case for why Micah Handlogten should consider bringing his talents to Auburn basketball.