Mens 2018-2019 Season

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Now that this season is over, I wonder who's coming back and what kind of signee class we'll have.

[boomstick 1,315]

Well, we just got good news on Purifoy. Still waiting on Heron and Wiley. I thinking Heron leaves, and I think Wiley’s decision won’t be decided until he gets feedback from the draft combine. 

Recruiting for this class is pretty minimal. We will likely only take one HS recruit, Stretch Akingbola, in this class because the numbers won’t allow more and the class isn’t as strong as the next two. Akingbola is a 2019 recruit that could reclassify to 2018, which is likely to happen. Depending on Heron’s and Wiley’s decisions, we might go into the transfer market for a grad transfer or a true transfer if there is a need and a suitable player. 

We will add Samir Doughty to the team and get Purifoy back after a few games. The depth chart right now would look like this, assuming Heron and Wiley return:

PG: Harper/Mitchell

SG: Brown/Purifoy

SF: Heron/Doughty/Dunbar

PF: Murray/Okeke

C: Wiley/McLemore/Spencer/Akingbola

Now, if Heron and Wiley return, I’d expect to see 1-2 current players transfer out in search of more playing time. But so much of the roster decisions hinge on the decisions of Heron and Wiley. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

Everything I have read is that Doughty is a PG not a SF but I could be wrong. Also next year I think Okeke starts over Murray and that Akingboa plays PF more than Center.  What I like about next years team if Wiley comes back is we can go big and we can go small.

Big as an example

PG - Doughty/Mitchell

SG - Heron or Purifoy

SF - Heron or Purifoy

PF - Okeke/Akingbo/.McLemore

Center - Wiley

Small as an example - basically this years starters

PG  - Harper/Mitchell

SG  - Brown

SF  - Heron

PF  - Murray

C  - McLemore

All of this is conjecture at this time as you said we really won't know anything until we see what happens with Wiley, Heron, and Purifoy.

If all come back you mentioned some might transfer. I would normally agree but when I try to figure out who is where I have trouble figuring it out. The ones I think who would take the biggest hits if all come back are Murray, Dunbar, and Spencer and all three would be seniors and would have to sit out a year if they transferred. I would totally understand any of the three transferring but I don't think they would in their Senior year.

[boomstick 1,315]

Doughty isn't really a SF, but in Bruce's system (which probably should be considered more of a 3 guard system), he fits into that role more than the SG role. He's a slasher, facilitator type similar to Heron or Dunans last year. So, I think he'd play there in this system because of skill set more than body type. He was a PG in HS, which I think helps us tremendously. I don't see him playing as much SG because, especially this year, we seemed to work that position to get some catch-and-shoot looks offensively, and I don't think that's Doughty's game.

[abw0004 10,108]

@boomstick: Do you really think guys would transfer out knowing how Bruce rotates all of his guys?  Everyone will get to play in his system.

[TexasTiger 12,811]

Heron almost transferred last year. Don’t know if this year addressed his concerns.

[boomstick 1,315]

27 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

@boomstick: Do you really think guys would transfer out knowing how Bruce rotates all of his guys?  Everyone will get to play in his system.

Possibly. I don't know of very many teams who could successfully rotate 10-11 guys all year. Really hard to build continuity that way. At some point, the rotation would have to be trimmed down to 9. Looking at the roster and what we could possibly return, there would likely be 2-3 guys trimmed out of that 9-man rotation. Don't know who, although I think there are a couple of guys more likely than others. I do think Bruce knows we have to have depth though. So, even if a guy or two transfers out, I would bet a lot of money that we bring in someone else to make sure we have 11-12 scholarship players on the bench next year. IMO we have too much potential to let one injury potentially derail next season because of lack of depth.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

Unless Heron is just incredibly unhappy, I don’t think he’ll be leaving after this year and it’s even possible he stays his senior year. I just don’t know if he’ll be able to get drafted. He’s of course a great player but I’m just not sure he’ll make it up the board until next year. 

Regarding if he wants to transfer or not, unless he is very unhappy, I would bet a lot of money he stays at Auburn. He’ll be a contender for the SEC title and probably be right back in great position for an ncaa tournament run. He may not be the feature guy, but he’ll be able to be one of our best offensive production guys, and on a team of the caliber I think we will be next year, that certainly improves stock.

[boomstick 1,315]

1 hour ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Unless Heron is just incredibly unhappy, I don’t think he’ll be leaving after this year and it’s even possible he stays his senior year. I just don’t know if he’ll be able to get drafted. He’s of course a great player but I’m just not sure he’ll make it up the board until next year. 

Regarding if he wants to transfer or not, unless he is very unhappy, I would bet a lot of money he stays at Auburn. He’ll be a contender for the SEC title and probably be right back in great position for an ncaa tournament run. He may not be the feature guy, but he’ll be able to be one of our best offensive production guys, and on a team of the caliber I think we will be next year, that certainly improves stock.

I've heard a reporter from a pay site (one who isn't well liked here) say on the radio that he's hearing Heron won't return. I've seen other reporters for other sites speculate similarly. I've seen people whom I believe to be knowledgeable and close to the team think there's a good chance he leaves. And most (if not all) don't think he's a draftable player right now and that it has more to do with his plan coming to Auburn and it being time to move to the next step basically. He may stay because he may get a rude awakening with his NBA evaluation.

I don't think he's unhappy, at least not from what people have said and written about him, but I do wonder where his mindset is regarding Auburn, the NBA, and his ability to get from where he is to where he wants to be. Clearly, most people don't think he's ready for the NBA yet, but his plan from the start when coming here was no more than 2 years and drafted. That hasn't happened, although by all accounts he's operated and worked and played like that would happen. So, now that it looks likely it won't happen, what does he do? How do his plans/goals change? Does he return to Auburn? Can another year at Auburn help him reach that NBA goal? Does the addition of other players to his position make it more difficult for him to improve enough to get to the NBA? Can he go somewhere else and improve himself more?

This is what worries me about him. It seems, based on the speculation around him, that he'd leave if any better opportunity that looked like a step forward presents itself. So does he want to really be here? I don't know the answer to that. I certainly hope he does want to be here and be a part of what could be an amazing team because he would be a great, impactful piece.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

4 hours ago, boomstick said:

I've heard a reporter from a pay site (one who isn't well liked here) say on the radio that he's hearing Heron won't return. I've seen other reporters for other sites speculate similarly. I've seen people whom I believe to be knowledgeable and close to the team think there's a good chance he leaves. And most (if not all) don't think he's a draftable player right now and that it has more to do with his plan coming to Auburn and it being time to move to the next step basically. He may stay because he may get a rude awakening with his NBA evaluation.

I don't think he's unhappy, at least not from what people have said and written about him, but I do wonder where his mindset is regarding Auburn, the NBA, and his ability to get from where he is to where he wants to be. Clearly, most people don't think he's ready for the NBA yet, but his plan from the start when coming here was no more than 2 years and drafted. That hasn't happened, although by all accounts he's operated and worked and played like that would happen. So, now that it looks likely it won't happen, what does he do? How do his plans/goals change? Does he return to Auburn? Can another year at Auburn help him reach that NBA goal? Does the addition of other players to his position make it more difficult for him to improve enough to get to the NBA? Can he go somewhere else and improve himself more?

This is what worries me about him. It seems, based on the speculation around him, that he'd leave if any better opportunity that looked like a step forward presents itself. So does he want to really be here? I don't know the answer to that. I certainly hope he does want to be here and be a part of what could be an amazing team because he would be a great, impactful piece.

What would be the “next step” though? Just because he transfers doesn’t mean he improves necessarily. I don’t know, I just don’t get why he would move on from au 

[CameronCrazy 1,058]

My dad met Bryce Brown outside of Toomer’s Corner today. Bryce believes that when it’s all said and done, both Wiley & Heron will be back - TIFWIW

[boomstick 1,315]

That’s good to hear from a teammate. 

[Tiger 8,817]

13 hours ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

What would be the “next step” though? Just because he transfers doesn’t mean he improves necessarily. I don’t know, I just don’t get why he would move on from au 

I take it as the longer he stays in college the lower his upside is perceived -- the NBA draft has been mainly underclassmen lately so I think he may feel it's beneficial to just enter the G-League or try Europe somewhere to earn some money while also improving his game for when the NBA does come calling. I think I saw somewhere that something like 40 freshman have been selected in the 1st round of the last 3 drafts while sophs/juniors/seniors + international players have combined for roughly 40 in the same time frame (I can't remember the exact stats). I do remember only 2 seniors were picked in last years draft in the 1st rd -- and they were the 2 final picks of the round.

I think overall it depends on if he thinks he'll be better prepared for the NBA with another year at AU -- where his touches and stats may take a hit based on inserting Purifoy and Doughty at the very least into a team that was already going 9 deep or if the next step in his journey to the NBA means he takes his game elsewhere. Either way, he was the first 5 star we ever signed and wanted to help build the foundation at AU and he succeeded in that so I'll always be a big Mustapha fan no matter what he chooses to do. Not to mention he seems like a fantastic person with his charity work -- he'd volunteer a few times a week when he was in high school at elementary schools and the Boys and Girls club. Check out this article as it touches on some parts of his life as well as his charity work:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2018/3/18/17136038/aurburn-mustapha-heron-gun-violence-programs-ncaa-tournament-march-madness