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Five star basketball commitments are a rarity at Auburn University. There haven't been very many of them in the history of recruiting rankings. Snagging a five star from somewhere like the state of Connecticut? Unheard of.
Yet, that's just what the Auburn Tigers did on Sunday afternoon during the official visit of Five-Star Strong Forward Mustapha Heron from Waterbury, CT. The Tigers went far afield of their normal recruiting grounds and picked up one of the nation's best. Heron is listed at 6'5, 200 lbs by his 247Sports profile.
If you want to read an excellent round-up of just what led Heron to commit to the Tigers, Phillip Marshall has a (free) article on the role that Auburn legend and current associate head coach Chuck Person played. Having Chuck around the program is paying off huge dividends, already.
The Highlights
There are a number of highlight videos for Heron out there. This appears to be the most recent that I could find in a quick Google search:
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The Class
Woooo boy, did things change for the better with his commitment. Want to know the difference one five star can make? Well, Auburn vaulted 23 spots up the board to 7th overall and first in the SEC. That makes a big difference. Hopefully he signs in the November signing period so that we don't have to fret over keeping his commitment until the spring. I have to admit that with the comments made by his father about Chuck Person, I think the Tigers have an excellent chance to hold on to Heron.
He joins Composite three stars Jared Harper (an absolute stud) and Anfrenee McLemore. Harper earned rave reviews during a recent tournament, and McLemore has been catching folks eyes after being relatively unknown until recently. I think it's safe to say that Bruce Pearl is building a strong program here on the Plains. War Eagle!
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