Tag: tre donaldson

Michigan basketball reels in a transfer guard from the Auburn

Good get for the good guys! #GoBlue

Michigan basketball went from close to an empty locker room to filling it with new blood in a hurry.

New head coach Dusty May has diligently been working to replace the many departures from the Wolverines and he’s had an incredible weekend in that regard. At the football spring game, he promised the crowd that the maize and blue would be getting more good news, and it’s continued without ceasing.

It started with four-star point guard Justin Pippen’s commitment before two transfers came into the fold. May added another on Sunday morning with the announcement that Tre Donaldson has decided to leave Auburn and come to Ann Arbor.

Playing an average of 19.2 minutes per game last season, Donaldson consistently managed 6.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 47% shooting. A four-star in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, Donaldson is the No. 67 player in the portal, regardless of position.

The point guard had this evaluation from 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins in 2021:

A gifted athlete that not only starts at both quarterback and safety for his high school, but also doubles as a legitimate high-level basketball recruit. Viewed by most Power 5 football staffs as a full-time defender given his ability to make plays in coverage and stops in the open field. Uses thicker frame to his advantage as he oftentimes arrives on scene with the intentions of leveling someone. Does a nice job of gaining depth with his read steps and then reacting to what’s going on in front of him. Posted an elite short shuttle time the spring before his senior season. Those fast-twitch muscle fibers help him close gaps in a hurry, especially when he’s asked to come down hill. Strong instincts and physical demeanor suggest that he could thrive as an in-the-box safety at the college of his choice and potentially even as a money linebacker if he continues to add mass. One of the more unique prospects in the class of 2022 given his aspirations to keep playing both football and basketball at the next level. Likely to emerge as a starter in the secondary after a few years on campus, but could be deployed early on in situational packages.

A Florida native, Donaldson has two years of eligibility remaining, and very well could be the starting point guard this upcoming season.

Aden Holloway enters the transfer portal

After two of Auburn’s guards announced their leave from the program, former five-star guard Aden Holloway does the same as he enters the portal.

Following Auburn basketball’s loss on March 22 to the Yale Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament, players are beginning to make their decisions on what their future with the team looks like for the 2024-25 season.

The Tigers have had a couple of players enter the transfer portal for next season, including the likes of guards [autotag]KD Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag].

Now, that list has been extended, as freshman and former five-star McDonald’s All-American [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] announced his intent to enter the portal on Tuesday as well.

The high school phenom was ranked as the No. 18 player in the nation in the 2023 recruiting class according to the On3 industry ranking. He committed to Auburn in August 2022.

Holloway was a starter on the roster for most of the 2023-24 season. He played in all 35 games this season, averaging 20.2 minutes per game over the course of the year.

The freshman showed signs of being an early star in his college campaign, but also struggled mightily at moments as well. He saw his minutes decrease at the end of January and into the better part of February as his shooting struggles continued to mount.

Holloway finished his first season scoring 7.3 points per game. His highest-scoring performance this season came against the Indiana Hoosiers in Atlanta, where he scored 24 points. He hit seven buckets in that game, with five of them being from 3-point land.

He averaged 1.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists on the year, so while not ever being a player to crash the glass in games, he shared the ball a good amount. He reached his season-high of six assists in a game on four separate occasions, including in the Tiger’s first game against Baylor.

Holloway enters the portal as most likely a highly sought out player, but has not indicated any clues on where he might be headed.

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Former Furman guard JP Pegues visits Auburn

With the frenzy of the transfer portal getting underway, former Furman point guard JP Pegues visited Auburn on Tuesday

The chaos of the transfer portal is starting to get underway in college basketball, with players announcing their exit left and right. [autotag]K.D. Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] have both already announced that they are leaving the program, which means [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] is in search of another guard.

Luckily for Auburn, the news of two of its guards leaving is attracting some attention from top players, including former Furman point guard [autotag]JP Pegues[/autotag]. The Paladin star made a visit to the Plains on Tuesday.

The junior had an impressive campaign this season, averaging 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during Furman’s 17-16 record in the 2023-24 year. His stats led him to be named to the first-team All-Southern Conference squad.

He already took a visit to South Carolina last weekend before making his trip to Auburn. After a visit that he feels went well, he looks to make one final visit to Florida on April 12 before making a decision.

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Chad Baker-Mazara announces return to Auburn for 2024-25 season

Baker-Mazara was a vital piece to Bruce Pearl’s squad last season.

One of Auburn’s vital pieces is set to return to the team for next season.

In a social media post, Auburn basketball posted a video Wednesday of guard Chad Baker-Mazara saying “My work is not yet finished” in Spanish before ending the video with a hearty “War Eagle.”

Baker-Mazara’s return is important for Auburn, as he finished the 2023-24 season in the top three of several major categories including points per game, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, and rebounds. It is easy to say that having a player of his caliber is valuable, which is why Baker-Mazara plans to stick around for another season.

The news comes hours after guard [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] announced his intent to enter the transfer portal after spending two seasons on the Plains. Donaldson is the second player to declare for the portal, following [autotag]KD Johnson[/autotag]’s announcement last week.

Baker-Mazara’s first season on the Plains ended in controversy. In Auburn’s round of 64 game with Yale, Baker-Mazara was issued a flagrant 2 foul from officials after it was shown that he threw an elbow at a Yale player just four minutes into the game. The Tigers ultimately lost the game, with some feeling that his absence ultimately led to defeat.

Following the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl defended Baker-Mazara and said that Auburn fans need to be sensitive when it comes to his athletes making mistakes.

“I’ll tell the Auburn family, while I know you’re disappointed, if someone was messing with your son, you’d stand up for him,” Pearl said. “Stop messing with my son, I’m calling you out. I’m not having it.”

Baker-Mazara ended the year with 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with an average of 21.7 minutes played per game.

[lawrence-related id=81148]

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Auburn guard Tre Donaldson enters transfer portal

Donaldson leaves the Plains after an impressive sophomore season in which he averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game.

A week after senior guard [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] decided to leave Auburn and enter the transfer portal, backcourt mate [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] has joined him. The sophomore guard announced the move on his Instagram early Wednesday morning.

Donaldson leaves the Plains after an impressive sophomore season in which he averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. While he played well throughout the season, Donaldson was stuck in a timeshare for minutes at the point guard position alongside 5-star freshman Aden Holloway.

With Holloway yet to decide on whether he will come back to Auburn and 2024 5-star point guard Tahaad Pettiford waiting in the wings, Donaldson may have been locked in the same type of limited minutes per game in his junior season.

Donaldson’s loss could force [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] to the transfer portal himself in hopes of finding a way to replace the assist production his sophomore guard offered. With the Tigers’ guard room depleting, Pearl has a tall task ahead of him in order to get his squad ready for next season.

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Recap: Yale upsets Auburn, season ends in Spokane

Auburn’s magical season concludes with a first-round upset loss to Yale.

The latest upset of March Madness involves the SEC Tournament champions.

No. 4 seed Auburn faced several instances of adversity in Friday’s round of 32 contest with No. 13 seed Yale, with the final blow taking place over the final 2:10 of regulation. Yale’s John Poulakidas nailed a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 73-72 advantage. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was a lead that Yale managed to hold. The Bulldogs completed the upset of Auburn on Friday by taking down the Tigers, 77-74 on Friday at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.

A three-point jumper by [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] pushed Auburn ahead, 68-58, with 7:27 remaining in the contest. From that moment, Yale took control of the game by chipping away and ultimately stealing the win. Bez Mbeng answered Jones’ three-pointer with one of his own with 7:12 to go in the game. The long-range bucket kicked off a 17-9 run by the Bulldogs to secure the victory.

Auburn outshot Yale, 51% to 46%, and took advantage of Bulldog turnovers by turning them into 15 points. However, scoring nine points over the final eight minutes, plus Yale’s ability to score 19 points in fastbreak situations, led to a Yale win. Auburn also had zero answers for Yale guard John Poulakidas, who scored 28 points in Yale’s win. He connected on 10-15 shots, which includes an astonishing 6-9 mark from three-point territory.

Auburn had an eventful first half that required adjustment. At the 16:59 mark in the half, Auburn guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] was ejected after throwing an elbow at Yale’s August Mahoney. The action was deemed a flagrant 2 foul and forced Baker-Mazara’s game to be cut short just three minutes into the game. Following the ejection, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run over the ensuing three minutes to take an 18-16 lead with 13:30 to go in the half.

[autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] turned a Yale turnover into points with a dunk at the 12:29 mark in the first half to put Auburn back in front, 20-18, a lead that the Tigers would not relinquish for the remainder of the half. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to one point with 12 minutes remaining, but the Tigers would build a seven-point cushion to take into halftime.

Yale began the second half strong by erasing Auburn’s 41-34 halftime lead on a 10-2 run over the first five minutes of the half. The Tigers answered by piecing together a 9-0 run to take a 57-48 lead with 11:10 remaining in the half. The Tigers would lead by as many as 10 points in the second half before the Bulldogs trimmed, and ultimately, stole the lead in the final two minutes.

[autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was the Tigers’ top producer, scoring 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Denver Jones scored 17 while Jaylin Williams dropped 13. [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] recorded six rebounds in the loss.

Yale will move on to face No. 5 seed San Diego State on Sunday in the round of 32. The Aztecs survived a scare of their own Friday by beating No. 12 seed UAB, 69-65. Auburn’s season ends with a 24-8 record.

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Photos: Auburn celebrates an SEC Tournament championship

Check out the best images from Auburn’s SEC Tournament championship celebration on the floor of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The No. 4-seed Auburn Tigers finished the job Sunday by taking down No. 6-seed Florida, 86-67, to win its third SEC Tournament crown.

The Tigers connected on 51% of his shot attempts in the win, including an impressive 64% tally in the second half. Auburn also never surrendered the lead, as it held the advantage from the first bucket at the 19:37 mark when [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] made a layup to give Auburn the 2-0 lead.

Broome ended the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds. [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] also reached double-figures in the victory. Auburn’s bench scored 33 points led by [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]’s eight-point outing. [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], and [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] added seven points each.

Here are the best photos from Auburn’s SEC Tournament championship celebration at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Recap: No. 11 Auburn makes statement with blowout win over No. 16 Alabama

After an extremely impressive win in Oxford over Ole Miss on Saturday, Auburn may have outdone themselves Wednesday against Alabama.

After No. 11 Auburn lost to No. 16 Alabama two weeks ago in Coleman Coliseum forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was asked how the Tigers would treat the matchup in Neville Arena a few weeks later.

The junior responded with a succinct “It’s personal.”

Things certainly felt personal for Broome and the Tigers on an emotional Wednesday night in Auburn that ended in a 99-81 win over the rival Crimson Tide.

After an up-and-down first 15 minutes that saw the game deadlocked at 39, Auburn’s defense and timely shooting took over. Broome and fellow Forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] went on a two-man, 16-2 run to end the half, giving the Tigers a 14-point cushion as they went to the locker room.

The duo finished the night with 50 combined points, leading Auburn to a 99-81 home victory to knot things up atop the SEC standings.

Guards [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] have become key complimentary pieces on the offensive end for the Tigers in SEC play. Tonight they were spectacular. The pair shot an effective 50% from the field in the win, combining for 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.

While Auburn’s offense was extremely effective, the defense of [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] in particular was also a story.

Broome’s five blocks and two steals combined with three steals apiece from Johnson and Moore led to transition opportunity after transition opportunity for an Auburn team that struggled shooting in the half court.

The 10+ turnover margin created by a suffocating Auburn defense was a major factor on the night. Other than the turnover issues, Alabama’s offense suffered from the road woes that have plagued it all season long.

Alabama guard Mark Sears and company made just 9 3-point shots on 26 attempts and only assisted on 8 made baskets. The Crimson Tide were bailed out by a bad Georgia defense in their last road game before tonight. [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] made sure his defense did not suffer the same fate as the Bulldogs.

Auburn’s victory improves the Tigers to 19-4 on the season and 8-2 in the SEC. The Orange and Blue will enjoy tonight’s victory before traveling to Gainesville to take on a red-hot Florida team on Saturday.

As for Alabama, the Tide drop to 16-7 and 8-2 in the SEC. They’ll travel down to Baton Rouge to battle a rejuvenated LSU team this weekend.

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Recap: Auburn blows out Penn, heads into SEC play 11-2

Auburn blows out Penn, heads into SEC play 11-2

The Auburn Tigers won another game by 20+ points on Tuesday night, blowing out the Penn Quakers 88-68 at Neville Arena.

This game was never in doubt, as superstar forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] connected on two early 3-point shots to lead the Tigers to an 11-2 start.

From there, Auburn took a page out of the Quakers playbook, sharing the wealth in another all-around great offensive effort. Guards [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara [/autotag]and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] bombarded Penn from deep all night, combining for 34 points.

Freshmen guard [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] struggled from the field again but he was able to improve on his Division 1-best freshmen assist-to-turnover ratio by dishing out 6 more dimes while only committing a single giveaway.

Head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s rotation did cool down after the halftime break, but Auburn’s lead was never in serious jeopardy in the victory.

While the offensive clinic was once again great to see, this Auburn team is going to go as far as their impressively stout defense takes them.

The Tigers’ ability to switch on ball screens and drives once again created issues for the opposing offense. Star Quakers freshmen Tyler Perkins was able to get to his season average of 13 points, but he did it on an inefficient 5/16 from the field.

More importantly, Perkins shot 0/6 in a second half that saw Penn get as close as 11 points.

Perkins is obviously not as talented as the likes of Antonio Reeves at Kentucky or Dalton Knecht at Tennessee, but the trend of opposing guards struggling with efficiency is something to keep an eye on heading into a guard-dominant SEC conference.

As for that SEC schedule, Auburn’s win streak will be tested right away when they travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas on January 6.

Penn also opens up conference play on January 6 when they host Dartmouth.

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Recap: Auburn notches another blowout victory over Alabama State

Auburn notches another blowout victory over Alabama State

Auburn continues to play terrific team basketball.

[autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] led a scorching hot Tigers’ offense to a fourth-straight 80-plus point game on Friday Night, as Auburn once again secured a double-digit victory at Neville Arena, 82-62.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad is now 9-2 in the non-conference schedule and has made yet another case of earning a top-25 spot in the upcoming USA Today Coaches Poll.

The aforementioned duo of Broome and Williams combined for 36 of Auburn’s 82 points in the win over the Alabama State Hornets.

Guard [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] contributed 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench, landing as the only other Tiger in double-figures. The senior also had 2 steals on the defensive end.

Despite shooting 25% from the 3-point line, the “Orange and Blue” shot 46% from the field overall and made great use of their 32 free-throw attempts, sinking 26 of them.

It is also worth noting freshmen [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] had a successful game splitting point guard duties.

Holloway finished with 6 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes on the floor, while Donaldson filled up the stat sheet with a 6-point, 4-assist, and 3-rebound performance across 20 minutes of playing time.

As for Alabama State, the Hornets are now 4-7 on the season, although 6 of those losses have come against high major competition.

Head coach Tony Madlock does have some things to be confident about heading into SWAC play. His talented backcourt of TJ Madlock and Isiah Range combined for 32 points in the loss which is slightly above their season average of 29.

The 32 points were impressive given Auburn’s early-season ability to wreak havoc on the defensive end. This is the seventh time in 11 games this season an Auburn opponent has scored under 65 points. The Tigers have an 21-point average margin of victory in those contests.

Auburn will enjoy an 8-day Holiday break before returning to action to host a pair of solid mid major programs.

The Tigers return to Neville Arena to host the Chattanooga Mocs on December 30 before opening 2024 against the Penn Quakers on January 2.

A grueling SEC schedule awaits after that.

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