Hoops underclassmen visit Auburn, leave with offers

Three basketball underclassmen from Georgia visited Auburn on Thursday, and all three are glad they did. They each left with an offer from Bruce Pearl and the Tigers.

Auburn’s third-year coach extended offers to forward Isaac Okoro and guard Elias King, both Class of 2019 recruits, as well as Class of 2020 point guard Sharife Cooper. Okoro and Cooper both attend McEachern in Powder Springs. King hails from Shiloh.

“It felt really good to get an offer from Auburn,” Okoro said. “I think Coach Pearl is a good coach and has Auburn’s program headed in the right direction.”

Okoro, King and Cooper spent the afternoon in Auburn meeting with the coaches, touring the campus and facilities and watching practice.

“I really like how all the coaches gave us good advice,” Okoro said. “I also like their weight room facility and I also like the way the team competes at practice.”

Okoro, who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 195 pounds, also has an offer from Rutgers. But Okoro isn’t the only one of the three with multiple early offers.

King, a 6-foot-5 guard, added Auburn to his growing list that includes Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Florida State and VCU. King also is receiving interest from Louisville, Rutgers, Tennessee and Georgia, among others.

"It felt great to get the offer," King said. "It was good to pick up another SEC offer. Coach Pearl is a great guy and I love Auburn's campus. It's a great place to be and everyone is respectful and cool, just like the coaches and other people on staff."

Cooper, the youngest of the three, is projected to be one of the top point guards in 2020. Auburn is the first to extend an offer, but likely not the last. Cooper connected on eight three-point shots and scored 44 points in a game for McEachern during fall ball.

Okoro, King and Cooper all expect to return to Auburn before their recruitments end, even though they’re just getting started.