Pearl on the hunt for one more guard
ALEX CITY | It’s been a busy offseason for Bruce Pearl and his staff and they’re still not done building Auburn’s roster for 2024-25.
The Tigers are looking for one more guard and would like to get him in before summer workouts and practices get going in early June.
“I think that's the last piece — one more impactful guard,” said Pearl before hosting his For the Children Golf Classic at Willow Point. “We really need one more guy that has a chance to compete. It really doesn't matter for me which position it's going to be, whether it's a 1/2 or a 2/1, a 2/3, a 3/2 — it doesn't really matter. But it'll be one more guard.
“We've tried to be really patient to get the right fit. We're involved with a couple of really good ones. I can't believe we're in the middle of May, and we're not done recruiting. But that's what the combination of NIL and the transfer portal has done.”
Six veterans are returning from last year’s roster. But AU must replace three guards that transferred out along with two players that graduated in forward Jaylin Williams and guard Lior Berman.
Two freshman signees are joining the team in guard Tahaad Pettiford and wing Jahki Howard and Pearl has added two transfers in point guard JP Pegues and forward Ja’Heim Hudson.
Hudson, who signed with Auburn Friday, averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game at SMU last season.
“The last three coaches he played for said, ‘He was my favorite. One of my favorite student athletes, one of my favorite teammates, one of my favorite kids. Hard worker.’ What I was looking to try to do was really compliment that frontline,” said Pearl. “With Dylan (Cardwell) and Johni (Broome) and Chaney (Johnson), those are three seniors that are good, that are going to play.
“And I wanted to bring in somebody that wasn’t afraid to compete with them but that wasn’t going to feel like they were entitled.”
Pegues averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game as a junior at Furman last season. Pearl sees him as a perfect fit in an Auburn lineup that has a lot of talented and experienced bigs.
“Can we play better defensively, can we shoot it a little bit better, and can we get a little bit more tough 2-point baskets, or a little bit more from the position. That's what I need,” said Pearl of point guard. “I think we can get more. The other thing, too, when we have as good of a frontline as we do, those guys need to be fed.”