Steven Pearl keeps adding size for Auburn with intriguing new transfer commit

Auburn added another big man to its basketball roster on Monday as Troy transfer Thomas Dowd announced he has committed to Steven Pearl’s Tigers.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 36.0 minutes per game for the Trojans last season, helping lead Troy to its second consecutive Sun Belt title, winning the conference tournament MVP and earning First Team All-Sun Belt honors.

Dowd is the third player Pearl has added from the transfer portal, joining Santa Clara’s Bukky Okoye and Creighton’s Owen Freeman. Okoye, at 7-foot-1, and Freeman, at 6-foot-10, are a solution to what ailed the Tigers last season, with many games, Auburn faced a massive size disadvantage. Add in French signee Narcisse Ngoy (6-foot-10) and the Tigers have shored up that problem this offseason.

Thomas Dowd brings scoring and rebounding prowess to the Tigers

A native of Dothan, Ala., Dowd came out of high school unranked by 247Sports, but quickly made his name with his play for the Trojans. As a freshman, he averaged 6.3 points before upping that to 9.5 points per game in his second year. He was crucial during Troy’s Sun Belt tournament run, putting up 23 points and 13 rebounds with three assists in the Trojans’ championship win over Georgia Southern.

He was ranked the No. 17 power forward in this year’s transfer portal. 

Dowd struggled in the NCAA Tournament’s first-round loss to Nebraska, shooting 1-of-11 from the field while scoring just four points, but still came down with nine rebounds against the Cornhuskers.

His addition became even more important on Monday following the news that Sebastian Williams-Adams, who announced earlier this month that he would return to Auburn for his sophomore season, decided to enter the transfer portal. Williams-Adams put up 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds this season while playing 27.3 minutes per game for the Tigers. 

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