Auburn women’s basketball coach Terri Williams-Flournoy and Auburn city mayor Ron Anders threw up their scores simultaneously, followed by an enthusiastic Aubie, who rounded out the perfect dunk score for Tigers freshman Isaac Okoro.

The winning slam — a windmill off an assist from the side of the backboard from freshman point guard Tyrell Jones — wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, though.

“You know, they told us a week in advance that we were going to have a dunk contest here, so throughout the week it’s been on mind,” Okoro said. “After practice I’ve been practicing my dunks.”

Okoro, the highest-rated signee in Auburn’s most recent class, put his elite athleticism on display for the 1,000s gathered at Toomer’s Corner on Thursday night at the inaugural Tipoff at Toomer’s event.

For Okoro, the cheers reminded him of his recruitment process.

“The fans just showed me love every time I came on a visit,” Okoro said. “That’s why I committed here.”

As Okoro dribbled and prepared for his first dunk of the contest, head coach Bruce Pearl instructed the emcee to turn the music down. Pearl then exclaimed to the crowd, about Okoro: “This guy right here, he could have gone anywhere in the country — played for any college basketball team in the country. But he came to Auburn! How about that?”

“That’s one of the reasons I came here,” Okoro added. “I feel like I can be a contributor to the team coming in as a freshman.”

A 6-foot-6, 225-pound small forward, Okoro is expected to fill in as Pearl’s newest rebounding and defensive specialist. Pearl has routinely referred to the freshman as the best defender he’s ever coached, as he can guard positions one-through-five seamlessly.

So which spot does he defend the best?

“The best player — that’s who I feel comfortable guarding,” Okoro said.

A wing who mostly dominated with his strength and athleticism around the rim in high school, Okoro said he’s been grinding away at improving his jump shot since arriving on the Plains.

“I think I’ve increased that very well,” Okoro said. “Coming in here from the summer, I’ve been working on it every single day, putting up 200, 300 makes a day, and I feel like that’s really improved it.”

Pearl and the Tigers will face Eckerd in an exhibition contest Nov. 1 before opening the season Nov. 5 against Georgia Southern.