Auburn basketball: K.C. Ross-Miller to transfer from New Mexico State to AUBy SB Nation College News on May 20 2014The Tigers landed a basketball commitment (and transfer) in the form of former New Mexico State guard K.C. Ross-Miller.Coming on the heels of an announced series with Middle Tennessee, Auburn basketball landed a commit and transfer Monday night from former New Mexico State guard K.C. Ross-Miller. This addition will have an impact from the beginning for the Tigers, as Ross-Miller is eligible to play immediately for one season under the graduate transfer rules.At 6'1, 175-pounds, Ross-Miller will provide help to an Auburn backcourt that returns starters Tahj Shamsid-Deen and K.T. Harrell. Ross-Miller was rated a three-star prospect in 2010 when he committed to Kentucky, and later signed with LSU before being declared academically ineligible in the summer of 2010. He played at New Orleans during his freshman season in college and averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 assists before his arrival at New Mexico State, where he played two seasons.Last season with the Aggies, Ross-Miller averaged 8.3 ppg on 43.7 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent on three-point attempts, and hit 82 percent of his free throws. He also grabbed 2.2 rebounds per game and averaged 3.5 assists on the season. After some controversy last season, when Ross-Miller threw a basketball at a Utah Valley guard in the finals seconds of a game that spawned a brawl between players and fans on the court, Ross-Miller was suspended for the last six games of the season, including the Aggies' first-round loss to San Diego State in the NCAA tournament.Ross-Miller is looking for a new opportunity to prove himself and found his home in Auburn. With Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl already securing a top JUCO prospect in power forward Cinmeon Bowers, who will arrive in the summer, Auburn is looking to make some noise in the SEC next season.
Boom! Auburn hoops lands another commitKeith Niebuhr T.J. Lang of Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen has committed to Auburn, the 3-star shooting guard told AuburnUndercover.com.The father of new Auburn commit T.J. Lang played at Duke."The opportunity to be a part of his program at Auburn, I couldn't pass it up," Lang said. "The coaching staff, putting players into the NBA, that's all important. Coach Bruce Pearl went to the NCAA every year at Tennessee, he knows how to win."He added, "The relationship I had with the players hanging out with them on my visit, it was great. From the academic aspect, they have a great setup and you can succeed off the court. They care about not just you and basketball, but you as a person."Lang, 6-foot-6, 195 pounds, is ranked as the state's No. 9 prospect in the 247Sports Composite and has an 81.77 rating. He averaged 17 points and five rebounds as a junior, and 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists as a senior."I can handle the ball and shoot it really well, then passing came with it," Lang said. "This whole year, I played the one and the two positions. Being 6'7, it was rare to see my playing the two guard. They watched my film and they immediately thought I was a good fit into their offense."I feel like I can contribute right away."A former Virginia Tech signee, Lang officially visited Auburn last weekend with his family. That visit came three days after Lang and his family took an unofficial one-day visit to Auburn to get better acquainted with the Tigers' coaching staff before the extended weekend visit. I go into every visit with my eyes wide open," Lang said. "I saw the campus on my unofficial and met the staff, then going into my official I got a more in-depth look. Taking both visits was important. I went home and prayed about it and made the right decision."Lang is the son of former Duke player Antonio Lang. The elder Lang has spent the last five years coaching professionally in Japan, but has decided to return home to the United States to work and watch his son's college career in person.That development means the world to Lang."It's great," Lang said. "It's good for him, too. He only watched me play during the summer the last few years, so it's big for him to watch me play. He feels like he can make up for lost time, I'm super happy that he can watch me play."Lang becomes the fifth member of Auburn's 2014 basketball recruiting class and will arrive on campus this summer.Signee Jack Purchase is currently on campus, signee Sam Logwood and JUCO commit Cinmeon Bowers will arrive later this summer, and New Mexico State transfer K.C. Ross-Miller committed to Auburn on Monday night after taking an official visit to Auburn on Sunday and Monday. He is eligible to play immediately after he graduates from New Mexico State this summer.Five new additions will put Auburn one scholarship over the limit of 13, meaning Pearl and staff will face roster management decisions this before next fall arrives.Lang originally signed with Virginia Tech, but asked out of that after the Hokies made a coaching change. It will not impact his eligibility, as he was given a full release.
Threw a ball. Started a brawl. I'd pay to watch a team with that kind of spunk.
Five new additions will put Auburn one scholarship over the limit of 13, meaning Pearl and staff will face roster management decisions this before next fall arrives.Our version of "processing"
Look buddy, we don't process. We make roster management decisions.
In all seriousness, there's a world of difference between doing this in your first year taking over a tanked program, and doing this in your 8th season when you're widely considered a "dynasty" program.
I agree but I don't see what the Dynasty program has to do with this. Phil Robertson is a good man.
He doesn't like the butt secks.
has paid to watch that kind of spunk
AUBURN | The task of improving a basketball program from doormat to contender generally moves at a glacial pace.Bruce Pearl doesn't have that kind of patience.The Auburn coach has pulled off some subtle but potentially massive moves during the past 48 hours that could expedite his plan to make the Tigers competitive. Former New Mexico State guard K.C. Ross-Miller on Monday walked away from a scholarship offer at Dayton, fresh off its run to the Sweet 16, to play for Pearl beginning this season.Coveted shooting guard T.J. Lang, one of the state's top players, committed on Tuesday. His blend of shooting ability and length make him an ideal wing player in the Tigers' new hyper-speed system.What do they have in common? Neither guy cared about Auburn until Pearl came along."I paid no attention until I heard from the new staff," said Lang, who played at McGill-Toolen High in Mobile. "They weren't even on my list. When I heard that Coach Pearl was there and they think I'm a perfect fit for what they're trying to do, that was big."Ross-Miller, a Dallas native who signed with LSU out of high school, also said Auburn barely had a spot in his consciousness. Despite being committed to Kentucky during his eighth- and ninth-grade seasons and developing a long relationship with LSU, He'd never heard from anyone at Auburn until last month."I mean, I knew about (Auburn), but it was mostly because of the football team," Ross-Miller said. "It just wasn't a program I paid attention to. I definitely paid attention to Tennessee when Coach Pearl was there. Most everybody wanted to play there."Pearl, though, wasn't a direct factor for the Tigers' final commits of the 20-13-14 recruiting cycle. He's barred from interacting with recruits until August, which means the Tigers had to find other methods to attract players.They found a winner in Chuck Person.The Tigers' all-time leading scorer, hired by Pearl in April, has become an important part of the program's recruiting enterprise. He served as Lang's primary recruiter and connected with Ross-Miller as well."He's a great guy and I really feel like he cares about me as a person," Lang said. "Plus, you're talking about one of the best shooters ever to play. I'm a shooter and I know he can make me better. I like the university and I like the players there, but Coach Person is what really pushed Auburn over the top for me."Ross-Miller also praised Person (along with fellow assistant Tony Jones), but said the style of play and the team's current personnel situation is what secured his commitment.Though Ross-Miller administrated a methodical system while at NMSU, he prefers to play at a higher tempo. He'll get that -- along with a talented cadre of teammates -- at Auburn."They wanted a veteran point guard and someone who could come in and make an impact right off," Ross-Miller said. "They're looking toward playing a different style and they trying to find a way to get me and Tahj (Shamsid-Deen) and K.T. (Harrell) playing together. That's going to be something we'll do. It's a new style and we'll need to play more guys. The plan they had for me I thought would benefit me most."
He'll get that -- along with a talented cadre of teammates -- at Auburn.
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