Auburn hoops updates roster, hinting at key personnel moves for 2023-24
As Bruce Pearl and his remaining staff work to put Auburn in a position for another NCAA Tournament run next season, the program updated its official online roster Wednesday to reflect some recent changes within the program.
Along with the additions of incoming freshman Aden Holloway and FIU transfer guard Denver Jones, there were a couple of other notable observations with the Tigers’ roster for the 2023-24 season — both in whose names were present and who was absent from the updated roster.
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Allen Flanigan was not listed on the updated roster despite having a year of eligibility remaining. Flanigan was a senior this past season, but he has a fifth year available thanks to the NCAA’s granting of an extra year of eligibility to athletes during the pandemic. Flanigan has not publicly commented on his future since Auburn’s season ended last month in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A team spokesman did not immediately respond to an AL.com request for clarification on Flanigan’s status with the program.
As a senior last season, Flanigan enjoyed a return to form after his junior campaign was impacted by a preseason Achilles injury. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 10.1 points, five rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as a senior while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from distance.
Along with his absence from the updated roster, his father, Wes Flanigan, was no longer listed on Auburn’s coaching staff. AL.com confirmed Saturday that Wes Flanigan was leaving Pearl’s staff for a spot on Chris Beard’s inaugural staff at Ole Miss. Wes Flanigan previously worked with Beard at Arkansas-Little Rock during the 2015-16 season.
While Allen Flanigan was not listed on the updated roster, another Auburn senior from last season was present: forward Jaylin Williams. The 6-foot-8 forward, like Flanigan, has not announced one way or another his plans since the Tigers’ season ended in Birmingham, but he is now listed as a graduate student on the official roster.
Williams, a former four-star recruit in the 2019 class, averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season while starting all 33 games he appeared in for Auburn. Williams shot 46.6 percent from the field, including 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, and finished the season as the Tigers’ third-leading scorer, behind Johni Broome and Wendell Green Jr. Williams, like Flanigan, has an additional year of eligibility at his disposal.
A couple other quick notes on Auburn’s updated roster:
— Jones is listed as a junior, meaning he has two years of eligibility remaining at Auburn. The New Market native started his career at Garden City Community College in Kansas before spending the last two seasons at FIU. So, he’s a fourth-year junior. He’s currently listed as jersey No. 2 on the roster, which is the same number Williams has worn and is still listed at.
— Another familiar name apparently returning for an additional season: Lior Berman. The walk-on and fan favorite from Mountain Brook was a senior last season, and it was generally expected that he would pursue a professional career in Israel after graduating this semester. He’s now listed as a graduate student on the roster. It’s worth noting that Pearl would have put Berman on scholarship last season if Auburn had not decided to take its final NCAA-mandated scholarship reduction. Depending on how the rest of Auburn’s offseason rebuild goes, could that be in play for Berman in 2023-24?
— If Flanigan is indeed done with his Auburn career and Williams apparently set to return, Auburn’s scholarship count for next season should be at eight, with two newcomers (Holloway and Jones) joining six returning players (Broome, Williams, K.D. Johnson, Tre Donaldson, Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell). That would give Auburn five more open spots to fill this offseason.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.