Auburn lands PG Shamsid-Deen

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Auburn landed an important commitment on Thursday, as Decatur (Ga.) Columbia point guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen committed to Auburn.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Shamsid-Deen had offers from UCLA, UConn, Butler, Northwestern, Richmond among others. Shamsid-Deen visited Auburn at the end of August and left impressed with the Tigers program, with visits to Butler and Richmond surrounding his visit to the Plains.

Auburn assistant Milt Wagner recruited Shamsid-Deen and received the good news.

"We made the decision this morning," Vince Shamsid-Deen told AuburnSports.com. "We called the coaches and let them know and we're excited. We felt at home at Auburn. He felt a connection down there so that's where he chose to go and we support that. Basketball is his world and he felt the energy with Auburn."

The point guard situation at Auburn features a senior in Josh Wallace and a true freshman in Brian Greene. Shamsid-Deen and his father credit the potential of early playing time to his decision.

"We understand Auburn is still rebuilding and we're turning things around," Vince Shamsid-Deen said. "Tahj won his middle school championship and has won three state titles, so he's never lost, that had to be taken into consideration when coming to Auburn. We trust the coaches as far as putting the right personnel on the floor. Tahj has to work and he'll be on the floor, if he works then he'll have that chance to play."

Shamsid-Deen is viewed by the Auburn coaches as a fast floor general, and will bring some toughness and leadership to the Auburn program. Shamsid-Deen is a player that doesn't shy away from contact or mixing things up in the paint driving to the basket.

The commitment of Shamsid-Deen continues a recent Atlanta connection with Auburn basketball, the Tigers landed Southwest Dekalb High School's Jordan Price and Milton High School's Shaquille Johnson last year.

Shamsid-Deen has a 3.9 GPA and scored a 1580 on his SAT and wants to major in Finance or Accounting in college. The Columbia High School product averaged 15 points and 10 assists per game for the back-to-back-to-back AAA state champions, and won state tournament M.V.P the last two years.