Reports: Auburn guard Chris Moore to return for final season of eligibility in 2024-25

Auburn’s men’s basketball team is set to return another familiar face next season as veteran guard Chris Moore is expected to return for his final season of eligibility, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein first reported Friday afternoon.

With Moore’s return, Bruce Pearl and the Tigers are bringing back a veteran guard who has started 42 games over the course of the last two seasons.

During this past season, Moore appeared in 34 games and started 26 as a staple on the wing for the Tigers and a leader in Auburn’s defensive efforts.

“Chris is just such a great teammate. He will help us as a team defensively. He’s our best communicator when he’s out there on the floor. Everyone knows where they’re supposed to be when Chris is on the floor because of what he does defensively,” Pearl said of Moore in March. “Not only with his physical ability, but his communicative ability. He’s one of the toughest guys out there. He’s a physical player, he’s hard to keep off the offensive glass.”

Offensively, Moore saw his struggles as he averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game on an average of 14.1 minutes per game.

While Pearl looked for a bit more offensive production, Moore saw his role decrease towards the back half of the regular season, only to be thrusted back into the rotation following Lior Berman’s season-ending injury.

“Chris Moore will be back in the rotation. I think Chris brings a strong voice and leadership to our team. He’s our best defensive communicator. We’re better defensively with Chris on the floor,” Pearl said of Moore following the loss of Berman. “Just gotta get him to play with more confidence offensively and I think he will, knowing that he lost some minutes in the rotation and he knows why. He understood.”

In those final six games, Moore capitalized on the opportunity and shot 11-for-12 from the floor, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line.

With Moore set to return next season, he joins Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome as two others who were faced with a decision and opted to finish their business on The Plains.