Basketball Preview - Small Forwards

247 Sports

Isaac Okoro looks to be the next Atlanta area native to star for Auburn Basketball!

Our look at the Auburn roster continues today as we look at the guys who look to play the 3 spot for Auburn this year. Two years ago, it was Mustapha Heron playing the 3. Last year, we saw Malik Dunbar and Samir Doughty play a bit of the 3. With Doughty moving back to his more normal 2 spot this year, Auburn will start another player at the 3 spot this year. Insert Isaac Okoro, Auburn’s highest touted newcomer to the roster this year.

#23 Isaac Okoro - Freshman, Powder Springs, Georgia

Auburn has done a phenomenal job in recruiting in the Atlanta area over the last several years. Jared Harper and Bryce Brown were Atlanta area guys that elected to come to Auburn and Isaac Okoro joins that list as he makes his highly anticipated Auburn debut this year.

Auburn fans, get ready for Isaac Okoro because he won’t be here long pic.twitter.com/UemhmGPi0i

— Ethan Williams (@EWilliams_22) October 18, 2019

A 6’6”, 225 pounder out of Powder Springs, Georgia, a lot of hype has been given to Isaac Okoro and rightfully so. His defense will be counted on early and often and Bruce has made it clear, he has the ability to defend 1-5 on the floor. He had some great defensive performances in high school and in AAU ball against some of the top players in the country. He has the potential to become Auburn’s first 1-and-done player if he’s able to live up to that potential.

STAY OUT OF ISAAC OKORO'S WAY @isaacokoro303 pic.twitter.com/WbvKHD6pT2

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 17, 2018

Okoro, according to 247 Sports, was the 36th ranked recruit coming into the class of 2019. He played on the same AAU team as Stretch Akingbola, Devan Cambridge and Sharife Cooper as Auburn has done extremely well in recruiting players from the Atlanta based Athletes of Tomorrow (AOT) team.

Okoro’s background is extremely impressive. He won a gold medal on the U17 World Cup team in 2018 and has been a part of several teams associated with USA Basketball. His high school, McEachern, in Powder Springs, Georgia won a state championship and finished the season 32-0.

One of the biggest things Okoro has worked hard on this offseason is his jump shot and he’s said he’s been working on that daily and getting 200-300 makes each day. If Okoro continues to develop that jump shot, along with keeping up his defensive prowess, he’ll be one of the most exciting players on the court for Auburn. Okoro looks primed to crack the starting lineup this season and be a force, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

#4 Javon Franklin - Sophomore, Little Rock, Arkansas

We talked on Monday about how successful Auburn has been at obtaining talent from the JUCO ranks. Auburn hopes Javon Franklin is the next in line for those success stories.

Franklin is a 6’7”, 218 pounder out of Little Rock, Arkansas and Holmes Community College in north Mississippi. He was a a High School Teammate of freshmen Allen Flanigan. Javon comes to Auburn after missing all but one game last season with a leg injury. As a result, he has 3 years of eligibility at Auburn despite coming from the JUCO ranks. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in his one year at Holmes.

His dunking and ability to block shots can’t make me help but think of Malik Dunbar when thinking about Franklin. It will be interesting to see what role Franklin plays on this team but with plays that you’ll see in the video, having another guy with his athleticism could make for some really fun highlights inside Auburn Arena this year.

Tomorrow, we will look at the Power Forwards and get you ready for Auburn’s exhibition game against Eckerd College.

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