Auburn Basketball: Jared Harper Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Here we discuss Auburn basketball freshman Jared Harper, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance against Alabama and Tennessee.
Auburn basketball took some hits following its loss against Tennessee last week, but there were certainly some highlights. Jared Harper, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound point guard from Atlanta, Georgia, shot the lights out with 21 points going 6-11 from the field, 5-7 from three. Combined with the win against Alabama, he averaged 17.5 points on 52.6 percent shooting and 70 percent (7-10) from three last week. His 11 points in the second half against the Crimson Tide set him apart from the crowd as he brought the Tigers the win.
It was because of his prowess last week that Harper was named SEC Freshman of the Week, anhonor that Austin Wiley took following his breakout performances against LSU and Alabama.
Harper and Wiley have joined Mustapha Heron to create a trio of efficient freshmen that have kept the Auburn offense running when it starts to fall off. This generally results in 3-point barrages and radical shots being taken, yet as we’ve seen for the past few weeks, this has brought along some great wins.
What is essential about Harper’s presence is how Auburn is finally capable of saying they have a top-tier point guard — something that hasn’t been on the Plains for quite some time. Having a reliable player who is able to dish it out, run the offense, and even ask to shoot is something unheard of at Auburn.
His performance against the Volunteers — primarily as the Tigers were beginning to get into the game — was solely because of Harper. Shooting off of screens, driving down the lane and drawing fouls, it was because of him that Auburn even had a chance to pull it off against Tennessee.
Here’s to Harper’s development as a cornerstone for Auburn making the NCAA Tournament.
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