Auburn fans might remember the name Chance Westry. The former 4-star prospect spent an unforgettable season with the Tigers in 2022-23, averaging 2.5 points across 11 games.
All of those appearances came early in the season, as Westry didn’t play in a game after Jan. 4, a loss at Georgia in which he played exactly one minute, after being shut down by Bruce Pearl due to a lingering knee issue.
Westry found himself at Syracuse the following season and, unhappy there, transferred to UAB for this year, where he has been a standout for Andy Kennedy’s squad, averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Blazers.
His head coach has a backhanded way of complimenting the guard.
Andy Kennedy roasts his current player, Chance Westry
"He's asleep off the ball, doesn't rebound to his size, is a bad shooter, and looks like he's about to have a stroke every time he runs up and down the floor... but he's the most gifted that I've ever coached,” Kennedy said.
Yikes. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement from the man who coaches you, but Kennedy will take what Westry has done on the floor lately, putting up an average of 21.2 points in the last five games.
Westry arrived at Auburn from Harrisburg, Pa., with high hopes that he could be another productive guard in Pearl’s offense, but quickly found himself behind Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson in the pecking order of guards. It didn’t help that he missed most of preseason practice after having knee surgery, something that affected his game in a major way, according to Pearl.
“Listen, he had surgery, he came back, and he just couldn’t really move on that thing, wasn’t the same player as he was before,” Pearl said. “So, yes, we did shut him down. It’s a very, very real possibility that he could redshirt this year.”
Redshirt he did, and after a year at Syracuse, he’s now making up for lost time with the Blazers.