Barbee's Recruits

[BZ770]

AUBURN -- Tony Barbee didn't sign any players as the late basketball signing period began Wednesday, but Auburn's new coach is in the hunt for several of the top uncommitted players on recruiting boards.

Auburn is recruiting 6-foot-8 Luke Cothron and 6-foot-6 Josh Langford from Huntsville and 6-foot-7 Marcus Thornton from Atlanta.

Cothron is ranked as the 33rd-best player in the nation by Rivals, and the sixth best player nationally who has not signed. Langford is being recruited by at least two other SEC schools. And Thornton has attracted offers from the likes of Kentucky and Florida.

Such lofty goals are a departure from recent Auburn recruiting classes.

Barbee is still reviewing the status of the six players who were signed last November by fired coach Jeff Lebo. Two players asked for and were granted releases from their national letters of intent.

Some other signees may fall by the wayside, too, because of academics, or they simply may be released from their obligation.

The shuffle in the Lebo signees will allow Barbee to sign the recruits he wants. Auburn did not have any available scholarships when he was hired March 24, although there were holes in the roster.

Auburn returns only one starter, Frankie Sullivan. He averaged 12.7 points a game last season. No other returnee averaged three.

The two players who were released are guards Jalen Steele and Anthony Salter. Auburn's other November signees were Allen Payne, Adrian Forbes, Shawn Kemp Jr. and Heath Houston.

Cothron originally com mitted to North Carolina State but changed his mind. He has offers from Auburn, Alabama and Marquette.

Langford averaged 25 points a game at Huntsville's Lee High School. He's being pursued by Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia and West Virginia.

Barbee knows the way to Langford's home; he's been recruiting him since Lang ford was in the ninth grade, first as an assistant to John Calipari at Memphis and later when he was head coach at UTEP.

"I like how Tony Barbee coaches," Langford told SuperPrep. com. "They play real fast. When he came to Auburn, he told me that he wanted to play up and down like they did at Memphis under Coach Cal.

"He did the same thing at UTEP."

The 6-foot-7 Thornton, who was named Mr. Basketball in Georgia by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, signed with Clemson, but was granted his release after Oliver Purnell left to coach at DePaul.

Thornton chose Clemson over Wake Forest and Maryland in his first go around in recruiting. Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Texas are among the schools in the recruiting process this time.

Thornton, who is an Honors Student at Westlake High, averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds a game last season.

I may have missed it but I never saw any articles like this about Lebo.  I hope he gets the roster room to bring in guys like this.

[jadennis]

This is new since the Lebo era, but I'm also eager to see what comes of the late charge for these guys.  It seems at least one is actually considering us, but that's some tough competition we're up against (Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Texas, etc).

[Saniflush]

This is new since the Lebo era, but I'm also eager to see what comes of the late charge for these guys.  It seems at least one is actually considering us, but that's some tough competition we're up against (Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Texas, etc).

It is, but he can sell being a big fish in a small pond right now.

[Snaggletiger]

Like Sir Charles said about the advice he gives to young kids looking for a place to play.  "Look around and see who sux.  You can play immediately."

We sux.

[BZ770]

   Quote of the Day Auburn BBall used to Suck.

[djsimp]

Well, seeing this type of recruiting is a breath of fresh air for BBall just like it was with FBall. With a HC like Barbee and a new arena to go along with that I can def see us getting a few impact players in at Auburn.

[AUChizad]

So we got Langford and Cothron.

I'm hearing we might be getting Varez Ward to transfer from Texas, which wouldn't be too shabby either.

I don't think we ever ended up offering Thornton. Can we even sign anyone else? I thought we were at our limit, but two transferred out, hence the room for Langford & Cothron.