An incredible weekend for Auburn basketball continued on Sunday, with Bruce Pearl securing a commitment from yet another highly-touted junior college prospect. Guard Abdul Bashir, who is widely considered one of the best JUCO players in the next cycle, announced on Sunday he would be playing his college basketball on the Plains next season.
Bashir is averaging 28.2 points per game for Casper College, a JUCO based in Wyoming, this season. The 6-foot-7 combo guard is also shooting 37.3% from 3-point range, which is actually a step down from the ridiculously high mark of 45.3% he set during his first season with the Thunderbirds. The newest Tiger commit has done nothing but wrangle points throughout his one and a half seasons of college basketball in the ‘Cowboy State’. Through 57 career games, the Omaha, Nebraska native has averaged 21.9 points per game.
Still with at least two years of eligibility remaining, Bashir chose Auburn over his home-state school, Nebraska, along with Texas A&M, Arizona State, UCF, Kansas State, Seton Hall and an abundance of mid major programs. His decision, while coming down to a variety of factors, may have been mostly swayed by the track record of Bruce Pearl developing lower-level players into stars on the Plains.
Speaking with On3, Bashir explained how Auburn’s staff made him feel essential to their overall vision. “I chose Auburn because Coach Pearl and his staff made me feel like a priority and they have a great resume with people like me and are amazing at developing players.” The most obvious, and most recent, additions to that resume include current stars Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson, who both started their careers away from the spotlight before becoming essential cogs in the best rotation in college basketball this season.
With plenty of current Tigers headed for the NBA Draft or graduation after the 2024-2025 season comes to an end, Bashir’s commitment gives Bruce Pearl and his staff an immediate star to build around. It should also be noted Bashir’s brother, Abdi Bashir Jr., is currently a sophomore at Monmouth. While he has shown no indication of entering the transfer portal, it could make sense for a 20 points per game scorer to seek out a better opportunity, and possibly team up with his brother, this offseason.
Bruce Pearl’s 2025 recruting class now stands at four players, three of which are guards. Forward Sebastian Williams-Adams, who is also the highest ranked future Tiger in the cycle, is joined by guards Simon Walker and Kaden Magwood, along with Bashir.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Top ranked JUCO guard commits to Auburn
