Auburn continues to be patient with five-star point guard Scoot Henderson, but for how much longer?
Henderson is a Class of 2022 guy, but is considering re-classifying to 2021. Auburn does not plan to take any other guards in the class before Henderson makes his decision.
However, Auburn only has so much time to give.
Auburn is recruiting EKU transfer point guard Wendell Green, as well as 2021 four-star point guard Tyty Washington. The Tigers have not been pushing hard for either to make a commitment as they wait on Henderson, but that could change should Henderson continue to delay.
Bottom line: Auburn can’t wait on Henderson much longer and risk missing out on both Green and Washington. Auburn needs to know which direction it needs to take, but at the same time, isn’t pushing Henderson to hurry.
It's a delicate situation.
Ideally, Henderson decides soon to re-classify and is running the show next season. Some at Auburn thought a decision would be made by now. Obviously, it hasn’t. Henderson continues to mull over the decision with his parents.
The hope now is that Henderson decides soon, within the next week. If not, Auburn likely will turn up the heat more on Green and Washington. Auburn is recruiting all three to play point, although Green also could play the 2. I really like where Auburn stands with Green.
OFF-BALL GUARDS
As for the shooting guard spot that Auburn wants to fill, Arkansas transfer Desi Sills continues to be the name I hear most. Sills in December scored a season-high 23 points against Auburn and turned around and scored 22 in January’s game.
Sills shot 35.4% from the 3-point line over the past three seasons, including 46% as a freshman. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Auburn is pushing hard for him.
Another transfer to track at the shooting guard spot is Noah Locke. The former Florida guard averaged 10.2 points as a Gator, shooting 41% from the field and 40.5% from the 3-point line.
Missouri transfer guard Xavier Pinson no longer is a target.
BIGS
Auburn should know a lot more in the coming days about its big-man recruitment.
Center Walker Kessler (North Carolina) and forward Noah Gurley (Furman) remain the top targets. Auburn hopes to fill that spot soon and was very optimistic about Kessler as recently as Tuesday.
But it's far from over.
Kessler on Wednesday is scheduled to have a Zoom call with Gonzaga. It could go a long ways in determining his decision. Kessler already has had two with Auburn. I still think his recruitment will come down to Auburn and Gonzaga and we will know which one very soon.
I expect a decision from Kessler could come as early as Thursday (or as late as Saturday).
Should Auburn miss on Kessler, it would go all-in on Gurley. He is scheduled to announce his choice on Sunday.
