While junior forward Cinmeon Bowers has been one of the best rebounders in college basketball, as he’s grabbing 11.1 caroms per contest, the fact of the matter is that Auburn needs to find some options capable of helping in in the paint ahead of the start of SEC play. Friday afternoon the program announced that a player they hope will prove capable of assisting Bowers has been ruled eligible to compete immediately.
7-footer Trayvon Reed, who was briefly a member of the Maryland program before being dismissed following his arrest in late-July, was officially added to the Auburn roster Friday according to Brandon Marcello of AL.com. Reed committed to Auburn in late August, and last week the freshman pleaded guilty to second-degree misdemeanor assault in a Maryland court.
Reed is one of two players who were added to the Auburn roster on Friday, with sophomore forward Alex Thompson being the other. Without much depth in the front court the Tigers have struggled on the glass, ranking eighth in the SEC in defensive rebounding percentage (69.0%) and 14th in offensive rebounding percentage (29.1%).
While Reed is eligible to play immediately, whether or not he plays in Auburn’s game at Clemson on Sunday has not been determined.