Tag: Chance Westry

Yohan Traore announces transfer destination

The former five-star guard has announced that he is heading west.

A busy week continues for Auburn basketball, as a member of the 2022-23 roster has announced his next move.

[autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag], a member of Auburn’s 2022 signing class, has announced that he will be heading west by committing to UC Santa Barbara. Joe Tipton of On3 was the first to report the news.

Traore announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on March 28 after spending just one season on the Plains. He signed with Auburn as a five-star center from Glendale, Arizona, but did not see much as much action as anticipated during his debut season. He played in 25 games last season, with his longest outing being 22 minutes in Auburn’s 85-64 win over Bradley during the Cancun Challenge last November. In his last 13 appearances, he played over 10 minutes just once.

While in the portal, Traore garnered interest from several power six programs such as Alabama, LSU, Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma.

In his lone season at Auburn, Traore averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, while playing an average of 9.8 minutes. He is the third player from Auburn’s 2022-23 roster to commit to another program from the transfer portal, joining [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] (Syracuse), and [autotag]Chandler Leopard[/autotag] (Samford).

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Johni Broome makes important decision regarding future

Broome was expected to be an instrumental piece to Auburn’s roster in 2023-24. Is that still a possibility?

After a stellar first season at Auburn after transferring from Morehead State, it was assumed that center [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] would be an instrumental piece to Auburn’s lineup during the 2023-24 season.

However, it appears that the plan is in jeopardy.

Broome announced Tuesday that he plans to test the NBA draft waters while maintaining his eligibility. In the announcement that he released via Instagram, Broome says that it has been an honor to wear the Auburn uniform, but that he is looking forward to his future as an athlete.

After discussions wiith my family and staff at Auburn, and as I look toward the future and the next step in my career, I have made the decision to enter my name into the 2023 NBA draft, while retaining my eligibility. I look forward to obtaining valuable feedback that will assist me in my lifelong goal of playing in the NBA, and I appreciate all of your support along this journey! War Eagle Always!

After spending two seasons at Morehead State, Broome transferred to Auburn for the 2022-23 season, where he became an asset right away. He ended the season by averaging 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He reached double figures in scoring 28 times last season and recorded 11 double-doubles.

Broome joins [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] as players from last season’s roster to declare for the NBA draft. Four players from last season’s team entered the transfer portal, with [autotag]Chandler Leopard[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] announcing their plans to transfer to Samford and Syracuse respectively.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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Chance Westry has heard from a plethora of programs, including three SEC schools

One of the 2022 cycle’s hottest prospects has become quite popular in the transfer portal market.

Auburn basketball fans were surprised to learn that prized 2022 signees, [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], announced their decision to enter the transfer portal after just one season on the Plains.

Not long after entering the portal, it was reported that the former five-star center Traore had heard from 11 programs, which included Auburn’s biggest rival, Alabama. It is now being reported that Traore’s recruiting classmate is receiving the same treatment.

Dushawn London of 247Sports says that Westry has also heard from 11 programs regarding the potential to join the roster. Among those programs are Final Four participant Miami, as well as three SEC programs in Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi State.

Westry was expected to be a key contributor for Auburn this season after an impressive summer tour in Israel, where he averaged 10.3 points per game. However, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, and never truly got back to where he was in Israel.

He appeared in 11 games this season but was shut down following Auburn’s game at Georgia in early January. Prior to Auburn’s stay in the NCAA Tournament last month, Westry said that he was working hard to become better so that he can perform up to his level of expectation next season.

“It’s been pretty hard, you know because I’m not out there playing,” Westry said. “Seeing everything and also being the player that I am, I want to go out there and try to fix some things, but it’s been hard. I’ve been getting stronger every day… and getting ready for next year so I can be out there myself.”

Out of high school, Westry was a four-star combo guard out of Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona. He was Arizona’s No. 3 ranked player according to 247Sports, and the No. 12 ranked player at his position nationally.

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Transfer Portal: Akingbola, Leopard are the latest players to hop in

The number of total departures from last season’s roster is up to six.

A week after the news of highly regarded freshmen [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] entering the transfer portal, two more members of the 2023-24 roster declared their intention to transfer.

Seniors [autotag]Chandler Leopard[/autotag] and [autotag]Babatunde Akingbola[/autotag] announced this week they plan to transfer from Auburn, doing so as graduates from the university.

News of Leopard’s decision was broken on Tuesday by Verbal Commits on Twitter. Leopard, a native of Athens, played in 18 games during his three seasons on the Plains, totaling 22 minutes. Last season, his biggest moment came in Auburn’s 89-56 win over Missouri on Valentine’s Day, when he recorded a rebound in the late moments of the second half.

Akingbola, affectionately known as “Stretch,” became the latest Tiger to announce he will seek another year of eligibility elsewhere on Thursday. In an announcement on Twitter, Akingbola thanked the coaching staff as well as Auburn fans before indicating he planned to graduate during the summer.

“I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for me,” Akingbola said in the tweet.

The 6-foot-10 center from Nigeria played in 50 games over the last four years for Auburn; the 2020-21 season was his most productive. That season, he appeared in 27 games, averaging 11 minutes of action. He pulled down 69 rebounds, and shot 47% from the field.

With the departure of Akingbola and Leopard, Auburn’s total of known departures is up to six players. Four members have entered their name into the transfer portal. Wendell Green Jr. announced this week he is preparing for the NBA draft. The only player who is out of eligibility is guard [autotag]Zep Jasper[/autotag].

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Auburn is a finalist for Georgia transfer Kario Oquendo

The Tigers are in heavy pursuit of the veteran guard.

Auburn is once again trying to land a shooting guard from one of their top rivals.

Georgia transfer [autotag]Kario Oquendo[/autotag] included the Tigers as one of his four finalists on Thursday. He also included Utah, Oregon, and Nebraska.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in two seasons as a Bulldog. He spent one season at Florida SouthWestern prior to his time at Georgia.

He played against Auburn three times as a Bulldog and scored a combined 52 points, finishing in double figures in each contest.

Following the departures of [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], Auburn has heavily pursued veteran guards who can score in the transfer portal. Other targets are Denver Jones (FIU) and Damian Dunn (Temple).

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Wendell Green Jr. makes decision regarding his future with Auburn basketball

It appears that Green will be preparing for another chapter of his basketball career.

Another Tiger has made a decision regarding their future with the program.

Nearly a week after freshmen [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] announced their decision to test the transfer portal waters, point guard [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] has made an important decision regarding his next step.

In a tweet published on Sunday, Green revealed that he will begin his professional career by declaring for the NBA Draft. Green shared his appreciation for several people in his announcement.

It has been a great honor to play for Auburn University for the past few seasons. Thank you to the coaching and training staff  for your guidance, advice, and leadership. I would also like to thank my teammates and everyone who has played a role in helping me get to where I am today. I would like to announce that I will be starting my professional career and declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft.

Green appeared in 68 games in two seasons at Auburn after transferring in from Eastern Kentucky. In 2022-23, Green started in all 34 games as the Tigers’ point guard. He leaves Auburn after averaging 13.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Green looks to push Auburn’s streak of having an NBA draft pick to five years and looks to become the first Tiger chosen in the draft since [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] were both drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft.

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Multiple SEC programs have reached out to Yohan Traore

Traore entered the transfer portal on March 28, and two Auburn rivals are among the list of programs who have contacted him.

As a five-star center that ranked in the top 25 of the 2022 recruiting cycle, it is easy to see why Auburn was elated to receive the signature of [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag].

As he begins to explore more opportunities within the transfer portal, it is also easy to see why many programs are making the most of their second chance.

Traore entered the transfer portal on March 28 following his freshman campaign and has already heard from 11 programs. Among those that have reached out are two SEC rivals of Auburn — Alabama and LSU.

According to recruiting analyst Andrew Slater, Traore has also heard from Oklahoma, TCU, Saint Louis, Memphis, Arizona State, Cincinnati, NC State, DePaul, and UC Santa Barbara in addition to Alabama and LSU.

Traore, along with [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], announced their plans to depart Auburn following their freshman seasons. Traore appeared in 25 games this season and averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds.

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Auburn has reached out to Washington State transfer TJ Bamba

Auburn is one of over a dozen schools that is in contact with TJ Bamba.

With just four teams left alive in college basketball the transfer portal is once again starting to fill up. Auburn fans saw that on Tuesday as both [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] and [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] decided to enter the portal.

It was fully expected that Auburn will lose several players to the portal each off-season but they are also expected to add players, something [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] has shown a knack for doing.

The Tigers have already reached out to several players and have now reportedly reached out to former Washington State Cougar TJ Bamba, according to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton.

Bamba announced his intentions to enter the 2023 NBA draft but retain his college eligibility and enter the transfer portal earlier in March.

The junior guard averaged 15.8 points and 3.7 rebounds last season, making 31 starts. He shot 42.6% from the field and made 37.2% of his shots from 3-point range for the Cougars.

The Denver, Colorado native has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and at 6-foot-5 and 210-pounds he fits the bill as a bigger guard that Auburn is reportedly looking for.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Chance Westry becomes second Auburn player to enter transfer portal

In a bit of a surprising move, freshman forward Chance Westry has elected to explore new opportunities within the transfer portal.

It was only a matter of time, but the transfer portal wheel has begun to spin for Auburn basketball.

On Tuesday, freshman center [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] announced via Instagram his intention to enter the transfer portal one season after signing with the Tigers as the top prospect of the 2022 class.

A mere moment after Traore’s announcement became public, the second-highest signee of the cycle announced his intent to enter the transfer portal.

In a bit of a surprising move, [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], a former four-start forward from Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, announced Tuesday that he will also explore new opportunities within the portal after spending one injury-ridden season on the Plains.

Westry had the makings to be a household name at Auburn after a stellar overseas tour in Israel for Auburn last August. However, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery before the season began, which hindered his ability and playtime.

Westry was only able to compete in 11 games this season and had not appeared in a game since Auburn’s 76-64 loss to Georgia on January 4. In those 11 games, Westry scored 2.5 points per game and averaged 9.3 minutes per game.

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Chance Westry working to come back from injury better than ever

Westry is putting in work behind the scenes in an effort to have a bounce back season in 2023-24.

After a stellar Israel summer tour that saw him score 10.3 points per game, Auburn fans were excited about the potential production that freshman [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] could bring to Auburn’s already talented squad.

However, Westry has not returned to his standard playing shape after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in October. This has caused him not to see the floor since early January and has limited him to only seeing action in 11 games this season.

After Auburn’s 76-64 loss to Georgia on Jan. 4, head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] elected to shut down Westry, which will allow him to redshirt and get a second chance at being a freshman again in 2023-24. In his time away from the action, Westry has been working to prepare for next season.

“It’s been pretty hard, you know, because I’m not out there playing,” Westry said Wednesday at Legacy Arena. “Seeing everything and also being the player that I am, I want to go out there and try to fix some things, but it’s been hard. I’ve been getting stronger every day… and getting ready for next year so I can be out there myself.”

Several changes that Westry has taken on have been adding weight. He weighed 183 pounds in the summer but has now grown to 197 pounds thanks to a plan set forth by Auburn’s strength and conditioning coach, Damon Davis. That is one of the main reasons why Pearl remains confident that Westry can ultimately become the player that he was before the surgery.

“I mean, it means a lot,” Westry said. “(Pearl) believes in me. Obviously, he sees the best, so I’m just going to live up to what he sees and be even better.”

Westry was a four-star combo guard from Chandler, Arizona as a member of the 2022 signing class, joining [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]. Looking ahead to next season’s roster, Westry will join [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]K.D. Johnson[/autotag] as one of four returning guards, with freshman signee [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] joining the mix.

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