The suspense is finally over and former five-star center Walker Kessler will be transferring to play for Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers. Kessler spent his freshman year coming off the bench for Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. He decided to transfer out, but then new North Carolina Head Coach Hubert Davis made a push to keep the big man in Chapel Hill. The decision reportedly came down to Aubrun or returning to North Carolina.
Auburn’s 3-4-5 of Allen Flanigan, Jabari Smith, and Walker Kessler should be as good as any other 3-4-5 in all of college basketball next season. https://t.co/V779jXkYpQ
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 12, 2021
This is a big move for an Auburn team that looked average heading into the new NCAA season. Kessler was slowed down by a rough COVID-19 year and some knee issues to start the year. He really began to emerge as a real threat for the Tar Heels to close out the season. The former five-star showcased exactly why he was ranked so high in his recruiting class. This could make the Tigers a legit threat in the SEC in the upcoming NCAA basketball season. Walker Kessler has the chance to be a special player and he gets to play much closer to home.
His freshman season was plagued with some issues, but the talent is undoubtedly there for the big man. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and almost a block per game in his freshman year with the Tar Heels. The real bright spot was he shot 57.8 percent from the field in his limited minutes. Kessler just never looked quite comfortable in his role with North Carolina and hopefully, the change of scenery will help him improve in his sophomore season. Bruce Pearl is very good at getting the best out of his roster.
