Allen Flanigan, who spent four seasons at Auburn, has announced that he will forgo the NBA draft this year in favor of transferring to SEC rival Ole Miss for his fifth season of eligibility. The decision is anything but surprising, as Flanigan’s father, [autotag]Wes Flanigan[/autotag], accepted an assistant coach position at Ole Miss under new head coach, Chris Beard.
Flanigan played forward for Auburn from 2019-2023, where he appeared in 114 games and recorded 69 starts. His best season was his sophomore campaign where he averaged 14.1 points and 5.5 boards in 27 games. Last season, he scored 10.1 points and pulled down 5.0 rebounds in 34 games while making 19 starts.
Flanigan becomes the second Tiger to remove his name from NBA draft consideration, joining center [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] who announced that he would return to Auburn. Auburn is still awaiting the decision of guard [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] and forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag].
Former Auburn forward Allen Flanigan has committed to Ole Miss, per @TiptonEdits.
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Auburn has seen plenty of roster movement this offseason. What is the next more for Flanigan?
There has been plenty of movement within Auburn’s roster since the 2022-23 season concluded in March. However, the most interesting of all cases is that of senior guard [autotag]Allen Flanigan[/autotag].
Flanigan’s future at Auburn has been the center of much speculation since the departure of his father, [autotag]Wes Flanigan[/autotag], to Ole Miss. Will Flanigan transfer? Will he hang around? In an effort to provide clarity, head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] shed light on the situation Tuesday.
“In Al’s case, he’s already declared twice,” Pearl said Tuesday. “You can’t declare a third time. If you do, you have to stay in the draft, so there’s no reason for him to declare anything.”
Flanigan tested the NBA draft waters in 2021 and 2022, which means that he would forfeit his remaining season of college eligibility if he declared a third time. So, if Flanigan wants to continue his collegiate career, he would either need to enter the transfer portal or return to Auburn for his final season.
Auburn has already seen the loss of four players to the transfer portal and has the possibility to lose four others in [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] to the NBA.
Pearl has also added freshman [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag], and transfers [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Cheney Johnson[/autotag]. Pearl also says that he hopes to take one or two more players from the transfer portal.
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The Williams hire is notable due to the experience that he brings to the Plains. He served as an assistant at Oral Roberts (2000-07), Florida State (2007-13), Arkansas (2019-21), and Texas Tech (2021-13).
As an assistant coach, Williams has been a part of staffs that have made the NCAA Tournament eight times. Among those trips include an Elite Eight appearance with Arkansas and a Sweet Sixteen appearance with Florida State.
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Auburn has lost its second commit in the past seven days.
Auburn has lost the second member of its 2024 recruiting class as four-star combo guard [autotag]Labaron Philon[/autotag] decommited from Auburn on Friday, he announced the news on his Instagram.
“First off, I would like to thank Bruce Pearl, his staff and fans for recruiting me along this journey!” Philon wrote. “After the news of changes in the program and staff, me and my family have to think about my future. With that being said, I would like to re-open my recruitment. Truly and extremely blessed to be recruited by the Auburn family! Can’t thank you guys enough!”
The move comes after assistant coach [autotag]Wes Flanigan[/autotag] left Auburn this offseason to join Chris Beard’s staff at Ole Miss. Flanigan was Philon’s primary recruiter.
Philon is the No. 41 overall player and No. 6 combo guard in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Baker native is also the No. 1 player from Alabama in the 2024 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-4, 177-pounder averaged 34.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists for Baker last season. He was named the MaxPreps, Gatorade, and Alabama Mr. Basketball of the Year for his work.
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He was a member of Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class.
The Auburn Tigers have lost a major member of their 2024 recruiting class. Four-star center [autotag]Peyton Marshall[/autotag] has decommitted from the Tigers, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.
He gave a statement to Tipton on his decision:
“First and foremost I would like to thank Bruce Pearl and the Auburn coaching staff. After news of recent coaching staff changes within the program and recents talks with the ones closest to me, it is within my best interest to re-open my recruitment. I truly appreciate the support the fans and basketball community have given me. I will be decommitting from the Auburn University. Please respect my decision.”
The 7-foot, 300-pounder committed to Auburn on Dec. 9, 2022, and one of his primary recruiters was [autotag]Wes Flanigan[/autotag], who recently left Auburn’s coaching staff.
Marshall is the No. 82 overall player and No. 13 center in the 247Sports composite. He is the No. 8 player from Georgia.
Auburn still has commitments from five-star point guard [autotag]Tahaad Pettifort[/autotag] and four-star combo guard [autotag]Labaon Philon[/autotag].
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Who’s in? Who’s out? Stay up-to-date with Auburn basketball’s roster movement with this tracker.
Now that the 2022-23 basketball season has concluded for Auburn basketball, it is now time to take a look at what next season’s roster could look like for [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag].
At the time of this posting, Pearl has already lost one member of the coaching staff in [autotag]Wes Flanigan[/autotag], who departed Auburn for Ole Miss to reunite with Chris Beard, who he served under during the 2015-16 season at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Since the season ended, the Tigers have learned of several departures due to graduation, the NBA draft, or by entering the transfer portal.
Roster news comes every second, and it can be a challenge trying to keep up with it all. That is why Auburn Wire has decided to piece together a Roster Tracker to keep you up to date with the latest entries, departures, and commitments surrounding the Auburn Tigers basketball program this offseason.
Flanigan has spent the past five seasons as a member of [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s coaching staff and was a four-year starter at Auburn from 1993-97. He helped the Tigers win two SEC regular-season titles and one SEC Tournament championship. His team also made the first Final Four in program history.
The move will allow him to reunite with Chris Beard. He was an assistant on Bear’s Little Rock staff in 2015-16 and was promoted to head coach when Beard left.
Flanigan has been an important recruiter for Pearl, landing Jaylin Williams, Tre Donaldson, Chris Moore, and [autotag]Allen Flanigan[/autotag], his son. He was also the primary recruiter for 2024 commit Labaron Philon.
Allen has not yet announced his plans for next season but could return to Auburn, declare for the NBA, or enter the transfer portal.
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If it seems like Auburn is in the mix to land one of the top players in every recruiting class, that’s because they are.
If it seems like Auburn is in the mix to land one of the top players in every recruiting class, that’s because it is.
In 2020, Bruce Pearl signed the Tigers’ highest-rated player ever in Shariffe Cooper and, in 2021, they are in the mix for the No. 1 player Jonathan Kuminga. For the 2022 class, they are going after the No. 3 point guard and a top 20 player in Scoot Henderson.
Henderson, who is out of Marietta, Ga., is being heavily recruited by Auburn and works out with a former Auburn star.
“Since I work out with Jared [Harper] right now, I feel like we have a little bit of a similar game,” Henderson said. “I feel like the way he played that year they went to the Final Four, I think that I could do the same on any squad. But that’s the way Auburn plays.”
Like Harper, Henderson is aggressive in space but is built differently, already standing 6-foot-2 to Harper’s smaller 5-foot-11 frame.
He has already been to several Auburn basketball games and has started to build a relationship with Wes Flanigan, his primary recruiter, and Bruce Pearl.
“I talk more with Coach Wes; my dad is probably closer with Coach Pearl,” Henderson said. “Coach Pearl is an enthusiastic guy. Very energetic. I like the energy. With Coach Wes, he’s chill.”
Henderson is a big fan of the open and fast Auburn playing style and their family approach.
“They play fast,” Henderson said. “And they keep pushing the ball. They space the floor. I like to play fast, space the floor. It would give me a chance to operate — show what I’m capable of doing.”
“It’s like a family over there, they treat you well. A lot of players from Atlanta and around my area have played over there and he lets the kids play, he lets them go.”
With the return of AAU basketball Henderson has had several huge performances and garnered some more attention.
While he will not be able to sign with a team for quite some time, he would like to start visiting schools “close to football season,” and Auburn is among those teams.
“Auburn for right now, Alabama and there may be a couple of other SEC schools like Georgia, Florida State and Ole Miss.”
Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan talks recruiting, winning and coaching his son.
Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan recently caught up with Jake Crain of The Jboy Show. The two talk about everything from recruiting to the future stars of Auburn hoops.
Recruiting:
Recruiting has skyrocketed after Auburn’s historic run to the Final Four in 2019. Auburn’s 2020 class is currently ranked ninth nationally on 247Sports. They bring in 5-star PG Sharife Cooper, 4-star PF JT Thor, 3-star PF Chris Moore, 3-star SG Justin Powell, and 3-star C Dylan Cardwell.
What’s Auburn’s biggest secret to success? According to Coach Flanigan:
“A lot of it is based on winning. When you start winning you create this fanbase, and our fanbase is unbelievable. I feel like we’ve got the best home court advantage in the SEC and one of the best in the country.”
Family is also important when it comes to Auburn’s style of recruiting. “We keep the families close. Our families are a part of our team, we don’t push those families back we urge them to continue to support their kids.” Flanigan continues to describe how Coach Pearl built Auburn basketball on the foundation of family. Bruce Pearl’s son Steven has coached alongside his father for six years now and was promoted to assistant coach in 2017. Flanigan’s son Allen had a successful freshman season appearing in all 31 games and finished as the Tigers’ third-best rebounding guard.
On coaching his son:
Flanigan never imagined that he and his son would be at Auburn at the same time, but it feels like a dream come true for the assistant coach.
Allen Flanigan | Little Rock, Ark.
✅ 6-5, 200, F ✅ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and No. 1️⃣ player in Arkansas ✅ Son of Auburn legend and current assistant coach Wes Flanigan ✅ 13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.9 spg as a junior at Parkview Magnet HS#WarEaglepic.twitter.com/MQgt1HgXpm
Coaching your son’s basketball team isn’t always easy. Flanigan describes the experience to be, “like a roller coaster,” citing the he and his son’s different emotions as well as the ups and downs that come with coaching. Now that he coaches his son he feels an additional level of anxiety that didn’t exist before. “I want him to do so well a lot of times so that adds a little anxiety and pressure to me.”
On the 2018-2019 season:
Against Georgia: Flanigan realized a major turning point in the season as Auburn faced Georgia on the road after a brutal loss to Ole Miss. Georgia didn’t have a great RPI and the Tigers knew that another humiliating loss would damage their tournament hopes. The game came down to a three from Chuma Okeke. Flanigan said that was Chuma’s, “I’m ready, now I’ve arrived” moment.
Skip to 2:30 for that Okeke three:
Against Kansas: “When I watched us play the way we played against Kansas, that was the first time I felt really, really good about us getting to the Final Four.”
Against North Carolina: “When we played North Carolina I felt like there was no way we was losing to them.”
Which Auburn players we should start buying stock in:
“As a dad, Allen Flanigan,” Wes laughs. (he’s not joking, buy stock now).
Our @AuburnMBB Rockstar of the Month is Babatunde “Stretch” Akingbola! He is always up for a challenge and takes great pride in doing his best. His perseverance is unmatched and we can’t wait to see what he can do on the court! #WarEaglepic.twitter.com/S9TlrrG5fH
Tyrell Jones, Babatunde (Flanigan cites his impressive work ethic), Jaylin Williams-all highly recruited (buy stock now).
“The thing we’ll miss that we’ve had the last few years is the level of experience, but the talent is there.” Flanigan says there are a lot of (Auburn basketball 2020-2021, these boys are going to be fun to watch just buy stock now).
