Three basketball players were to sign with Auburn’s men on Wednesday and another on Thursday. The women’s team announced four signees on the first day players were allowed to sign letters-of-intent.
Jeff Lebo’s men’s program did not officially announce signees, but forward Kenny Gabriel (6-9, 200) of Paris (Texas) Junior College, shooting guard Andre Malone (6-4, 200) of South Atlanta High and power forward Rob Chubb (6-9, 200) of Montverde (Fla.) Academy were scheduled to sign Wednesday. Guard Ernest Ross (6-4, 184) from Panther Creek High School in Cary, N.C., is expected to sign Thursday.
Gabriel signed with Auburn last year but went to junior college when he was not cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse. He appealed and won, meaning he can enroll in Auburn after one year of junior college.
Gabriel is averaging 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds this season for Paris. Ross averaged almost 26 points and 8 rebounds per game. Malone averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds per game. Chubb averaged 14 points a nd 10 rebounds.
Morgan Toles, a 5-foot-9 point guard; Blanche Alverson a 6 -foot-3 forward/guard; Nicolle Thomas a 5-foot-10 guard and Pascale "P.J." West, a 6-foot-8 center, signed Wednesday with Nell Fortner’s women’s program.
“I’m really excited about this class,” Fortner said. “I think we got a little bit of everything. It is great to have this class coming in behind the freshmen class we have now, because it is a very athletic class, it has size, speed, it has a little bit of everything. I feel good about the future.”
All four players are from Georgia. Toles is from Sandy Creek High in Fayetteville, Thomas from Colquitt County High in Moultrie, West from Troup County in LaGrange and Alverson from Buford.
Thomas averaged 16.8 points and 8 rebounds as a junior. West averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds. Alverson averaged 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds. Toles is ranked as the No. 27 overall prospect and No. 4 point guard nationally by ESPN.com.
