AUBURN | Bruce Pearl didn’t schedule this week’s games specifically for Mustapha Heron but it will turn out to be a pretty nice homecoming for the Auburn freshman.
The Tigers play Oklahoma Wednesday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and then Connecticut Friday at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
Heron was a three-time all-state selection and led Sacred Heart in Waterbury, Conn., to three-straight state championships. He also began the Mustapha Heron Skill Academy as a 15-year old, which encourages and rewards young readers in his community.
“There will be buses because Mustapha was a leader of his school and he was a leader in his community,” Pearl said of Auburn’s first-ever five-star signee.
Pearl and Heron said they’re expecting multiple buses from Sacred Heart for each game.
“It means the world to me knowing that there’s just support from back home and everybody is still tuned in,” Heron said. “A lot of people still talk to me about every game and people watch every game back at home. People are getting the SEC Network, paying for it out of their pockets, just to watch me play. That means a lot.”
In Oklahoma and Connecticut, Auburn will be playing two traditional powers, which are off to a slow starts this season. The Sooners are 6-4 with losses to Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Wichita State and Memphis, while the Huskies are 5-5 with losses to Wagner, Northeastern, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Ohio State.
“Oklahoma having come off a Final Four season last year, obviously Buddy (Hield)’s not there, but they got a bunch of guys back from that team. They’ve played a very difficult schedule and they’ve played really good teams,” Pearl said.
“They’re very athletic, they’re very deep. They play really hard. They’re great in transition and they’ve got some really terrific players.”
Senior guard Jordan Woodard leads Oklahoma averaging 17.6 points and 3.6 assists per game. He’s shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range. Junior forward Khadeem Lattin averages 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
Sophomore guard Jalen Adams leads UConn averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 assists. He’s shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Amida Brimah averages 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
Pearl is looking forward to the challenge of facing two talented non-conference opponents before the start of conference play Dec. 29 against Georgia.
“It’s a litmus test,” he said. “Are we going to be a postseason tournament team or not and I know it’s early in our development, but this is going to be a real challenge and a real test and a real opportunity.
“The second thing is going to be how do we fare for the league in the sense that our league continues to need some quality wins to help us when it comes to postseason and so we carry that banner and that torch as well.”
The Oklahoma game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. Friday’s UConn game will be at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
