Jalen Harper, brother of former Auburn Tiger, has joined the squad

Auburn may have gotten a bit of a spark to the basketball team on Memorial Day. Former Auburn point guard Jared Harper took to Twitter to post a picture of an Auburn basketball locker with the caption,  “(Jalen Harper) keep it in the family.” Hence, it suggests that Bruce Pearl and his coaching staff were able to land Jalen Harper (younger brother of Jared Harper). Jalen also included the Auburn men’s basketball Instagram in his personal bio. In all likelihood, he will be a walk-on on the basketball team.

Jalen signed with Florida Gulf Coast out of Pebblebrook High School. He would spend just one season with the Eagles. As a freshman, he averaged 2.9 points per game and 0.6 rebounds per game. Along with that, he also made two starts. After the season concluded, he transferred to Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He would average 4.3 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor.

His brother, Jared, spent three seasons on the Plains. He started in 104 games for Bruce Pearl’s squad. Harper averaged 13.5 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. After the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season, he would declare for the NBA draft. Harper went undrafted but ultimately got a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns. He has played for three different teams thus far — those being the Suns, Pelicans, and Knicks. Currently, he is on a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Birmingham Squadron (G-League).

It will be interesting to see how the younger brother develops at Auburn. He hasn’t seen exclusive playing time and likely won’t with the Tigers. However, he could very well carve up some minutes over time if the opportunity presents itself. We will have to wait and see.