Auburn has seen most of its rotation from last season’s Final Four team depart, including freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who has declared for the NBA Draft while keeping his college eligibility intact.
Pettiford’s dynamic playstyle could catch the eye of NBA scouts, but head coach Bruce Pearl seems optimistic about his return for a second season as he continues to pursue front-court talent in the transfer portal.
According to AuburnUndercover, Auburn is scheduled to host Louisville’s Star. The 6-foot-11 center posted averages of 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and would be the Tigers’ fourth front-court transfer addition this offseason.
Louisville transfer James Scott set to visit Auburn
Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell have both used up their eligibility, leaving Bruce Pearl with the task of reloading his frontcourt.
So far, he’s added KeShawn Murphy from Ole Miss, Division II transfer Elyjah Freeman, and Keyshawn Hall from UCF—who could emerge as the team’s top offensive option. At 6-foot-7, Hall is the smallest of the new forwards, and the only backcourt addition is 6-foot-5 off-ball guard Kevin Overton from Texas Tech.
Louisville transfer forward James Scott is planning a visit to Auburn, sources tell @AuburnLiveOn3
He's one of a few names we've mentioned to keep an eye out for. More on the news inside.
🔗 https://t.co/9z8h7Q2L22 pic.twitter.com/SpuQ2beWKN
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) April 30, 2025
It’s clear Pearl is emphasizing size on the perimeter and in the backcourt—likely influenced by the challenges undersized guard JP Pegues faced last season after transferring from Furman. Still, Auburn is lacking a true ball-handler, and Scott won’t fill that need.
Scott thrives around the basket, with 86.6% of his scoring coming in the paint and a stellar 75.9% effective field goal percentage—ranking in the 99th percentile nationally. He also protects the rim well; opponents shot just 34.2% in the paint when he was on the floor, compared to 44.1% when he wasn’t.
He’ll contribute on both ends, but like most of Pearl’s additions, he relies on someone else to set him up offensively. Hall is the only proven shot creator among the newcomers, though his assist rate at UCF was just 15%—still significantly better than Overton’s 6.8%.
In addition to Broome and Cardwell, Auburn also lost guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones to graduation, yet Pearl hasn’t secured a true point guard and is still targeting more big men. While his offense can operate through frontcourt playmakers using flex cuts and off-ball action, it still needs a floor general.
That means Pearl either has strong confidence in incoming four-star freshman Kaden Magwood or is counting on Tre Donaldson or Aden Holloway—or hoping for Tre Pettiford’s return from the NBA Draft process.
Though Pettiford leans toward scoring, he made notable strides during his freshman campaign. If he withdraws from the draft and returns to a deep frontcourt including Scott, Auburn could contend for a Final Four run. If not, Pearl may find himself in a difficult position.
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