Auburn basketball signs former Eastern Kentucky guard Wendell Green Jr.
Updated: Apr. 22, 2021, 1:20 p.m. | Published: Apr. 22, 2021, 1:17 p.m.
La Lumiere School's Wendell Green Jr. is seen against Prolific Prep during a high school basketball game at the Hoophall Classic, Sunday, January 19, 2020, in Springfield, Mass. Green spent his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky but announced a decision to transfer to Auburn this offseason. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)AP
By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com
The second of four transfer commitments this offseason has signed with Bruce Pearl's program.
Auburn on Thursday afternoon announced the signing of Eastern Kentucky point guard transfer Wendell Green Jr. The addition of Green, who committed to the Tigers less than two weeks ago, comes a day after the program officially signed College of Charleston combo guard Zep Jasper.
"Auburn basketball has a history of doing special things with very special undersized point guards," Pearl said. "Wendell Green has won at every level, but has always had to prove himself to people. He's won at La Lumiere School in Indiana, Detroit Country Day in Michigan and last season at Eastern Kentucky. He's a fierce competitor and he makes everyone he plays with on the floor better."
Wendell Green Jr. is an ideal fit to run Bruce Pearl's Auburn offense
After losing Sharife Cooper to the NBA, Auburn may have found its next star point guard in EKU transfer Wendell Green Jr.
The 5-foot-11 Green is an ideal fit for what Pearl looks for in a point guard, as the Auburn coach has a track record of succeeding with undersized, quick and fast players running his up-tempo, four-out offense.
As a freshman at EKU last season, Green appeared in all 29 games for the Colonels and made 25 starts in the backcourt. He averaged 15.8 points per game on 39.6 percent shooting, including a 36.4 percent clip from beyond the arc. Green also averaged 3.4 rebounds and five assists per contest (finishing top-50 nationally in assists) while totaling 146 of them on the year. That number ranked 15th nationally among all Division I players and first among freshmen nationwide.
An All-OVC first-team selection last season, Green had an assist rate of 29.5 percent and a turnover rate of just 14.9 percent, all while running the nation's No. 2 offense in terms of adjusted tempo (74.8 possessions per 40 minutes, according to KenPom.com), the No. 8 scoring offense nationally and posting a usage rate of 28 percent.
Now he's officially on board with Auburn, where he figures to be the Tigers heir apparent at point guard to Sharife Cooper, who declared the NBA Draft after appearing in just 12 games as a freshman last season.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.