Good morning, everyone.
Auburn is making some tangible progress toward filling its personnel needs ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Chaney Johnson, a play-making G/F from Alabama-Huntsville, will be on campus today for an official visit. He averaged 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Chargers last year. He also shot 30 percent from three-point range. Synergy Sports gives him an EXCELLENT rating on offense and a VERY GOOD rating on defense. You may find his Division II pedigree a turn-off, but he scored 14 points in 25 minutes against Auburn in a pre-season exhibition inside Neville Arena last season. That performance caught Bruce Pearl’s eye. Once Johnson hit the portal, the Tigers immediately were interested.
The Tigers also have been speaking with Matthew Cleveland, the 6-foot-7 slashing wing from Florida State. He averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also shot 35 percent from three-point range last season. Synergy Sports gives Cleveland an AVERAGE rating on offense and an AVERAGE rating on defense. (Remember that he was playing for a struggling team in the ACC last season.) Auburn is angling for a visit from Cleveland in relatively short order and would love to slot him into the wing spot — assuming Al Flanigan won‘t return for the Tigers next season. Flanigan’s father, former Auburn assistant Wes Flanigan, already has cleaned out his office here and begun work at Ole Miss.
Cleveland is from Pace Academy in Atlanta.
A new portal entrant, Texas Tech wing Jaylon Tyson, has spoken with the Tigers recently. He averaged 10.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Synergy lists him as VERY GOOD on both offense and defense. He’s from Texas and started his career at UT, so he has no obvious ties to Alabama. With that said, the Red Raiders’ interim coach from last season, Corey Williams, interviewed for the Tigers’ assistant coach spot last week. If Williams joins the Tigers, Tyson may follow suit.
Auburn is pushing for a visit.
As for the possibility of former Auburn wing Devan Cambridge returning for a second stint, I judge that chatter to be premature. Cambridge left the Tigers on good terms, to be sure, but he has glaring limitations and hasn’t shot well for a long time now. He arrived here in 2020 as an oversized shooting guard, but his inability to dribble competently forced him to become an undersized forward in Tempe. The Tigers view him as a bouncy backup at 4. That has some value, but there are more complete players available in the portal to fill that role.
Auburn is making some tangible progress toward filling its personnel needs ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Chaney Johnson, a play-making G/F from Alabama-Huntsville, will be on campus today for an official visit. He averaged 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Chargers last year. He also shot 30 percent from three-point range. Synergy Sports gives him an EXCELLENT rating on offense and a VERY GOOD rating on defense. You may find his Division II pedigree a turn-off, but he scored 14 points in 25 minutes against Auburn in a pre-season exhibition inside Neville Arena last season. That performance caught Bruce Pearl’s eye. Once Johnson hit the portal, the Tigers immediately were interested.
The Tigers also have been speaking with Matthew Cleveland, the 6-foot-7 slashing wing from Florida State. He averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also shot 35 percent from three-point range last season. Synergy Sports gives Cleveland an AVERAGE rating on offense and an AVERAGE rating on defense. (Remember that he was playing for a struggling team in the ACC last season.) Auburn is angling for a visit from Cleveland in relatively short order and would love to slot him into the wing spot — assuming Al Flanigan won‘t return for the Tigers next season. Flanigan’s father, former Auburn assistant Wes Flanigan, already has cleaned out his office here and begun work at Ole Miss.
Cleveland is from Pace Academy in Atlanta.
A new portal entrant, Texas Tech wing Jaylon Tyson, has spoken with the Tigers recently. He averaged 10.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Synergy lists him as VERY GOOD on both offense and defense. He’s from Texas and started his career at UT, so he has no obvious ties to Alabama. With that said, the Red Raiders’ interim coach from last season, Corey Williams, interviewed for the Tigers’ assistant coach spot last week. If Williams joins the Tigers, Tyson may follow suit.
Auburn is pushing for a visit.
As for the possibility of former Auburn wing Devan Cambridge returning for a second stint, I judge that chatter to be premature. Cambridge left the Tigers on good terms, to be sure, but he has glaring limitations and hasn’t shot well for a long time now. He arrived here in 2020 as an oversized shooting guard, but his inability to dribble competently forced him to become an undersized forward in Tempe. The Tigers view him as a bouncy backup at 4. That has some value, but there are more complete players available in the portal to fill that role.
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