Furman guard star JP Pegues commits to Auburn Tigers on blockbuster trade…

Furman transfer and All-Southern Conference first team guard JP Pegues has committed to Auburn, he announced in a social media post Friday.

“I chose Auburn because of their conviction and the vivid vision that they had for me,” Pegues told On3′s Joe Tipton of his decision. “I also love how they operate in a family oriented environment which was a big priority for me. Lastly Auburn is a winning program and one of the best defenses in the country.”

Auburn was active in the transfer portal searching for a playmaking point guard. Bruce Pearl frequently described his point guards this season — Tre Donaldson and Aden Holloway — as strong at facilitating the offense and good at keeping efficient assist-to-turnover ratios.

But they were never consistent scorers. Auburn targeted several high-volume scoring point guards in the portal.
In Pegues, they got one as he finished the 2023-24 season having averaged 18.4 points per game, including 83 3-pointers, good for a 36% efficiency from beyond the arc. Pegues also dished 4.8 assists per game.

Auburn got its first look at Pegues earlier this season as it played Furman in a closed-door scrimmage just before the opening game of the year.

And they’d likely seen Pegues most famous shot thus far, draining a 3-pointer just before the buzzer as No. 13 seed Furman beat No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard also averaged two more assists than turnovers per game.

Pegues, a Nashville native, has one remaining year of eligibility.

He took an official visit to Auburn in early April after visiting South Carolina. Several other current and incoming SEC schools were in touch with Pegues including Arkansas, Oklahoma, LSU and Missouri.

The addition of Pegues is huge for the Tigers, who have seen a pair of point guards in Tre Donaldson and Aden Holloway enter the transfer portal since Auburn’s season ended in a first-round loss to Yale in the NCAA Tournament.

As it sits, Pegues will join forces with Auburn’s 5-star signee Tahaad Pettiford, who ranks as the top point guard in the 2024 recruiting cycle. However, Pearl has maintained Pettiford won’t just be used as a point guard, meaning Pegues might be Auburn’s guy at the 1 position.

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