Prowell to return for Auburn

Today’s games in Birmingham, pitting Auburn against West Virginia and Alabama against Georgetown, mark the beginning of the first Big East/SEC Invitational.

In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t mean very much to the Auburn basketball team.
Today’s Auburn-West Virginia game also marks the first game of the season for AU forward Quan Prowell.

That could mean quite a bit for Auburn.

Prowell, AU’s second-leading scorer last season, was suspended for the Tigers’ first five games. He’s back in head coach Jeff Lebo’s good graces, just in time for Auburn’s toughest test yet.

West Virginia (6-1) ranks 11th nationally in scoring, averaging 85.7 points per game. The Mountaineers also have four starters who are 6-foot-7 or taller.

Those are worrisome numbers for Auburn (4-1), which scores 72.4 points per game and has struggled at times to find its offense.

The Tigers start four guards alongside 6-foot-7 forward Vot Barber.

“It’s a very big game,” Auburn guard Frank Tolbert said. “They’re a very good team.”

Prowell’s return could be big for Auburn. The 6-foot-8, 215-pounder is one of Auburn’s best shooters: He hit 43 percent of his 3-pointers last season.

He also has enough size to help in the paint, where Barber has been AU’s only inside threat.
Best of all, his return will help ease Auburn’s increasingly serious depth problems.

The Tigers played just seven players Sunday against George Washington; Barber and point guards DeWayne Reed and Quantez Robertson each played the full 40 minutes.

“It’s going to be a big help, obviously, to have him back and put him back out on the floor,” Lebo said. “It’ll help our lack of depth — or no depth. Just having an extra guy is big.”

Prowell is the only help the Tigers can expect in the short term. Forward Josh Dollard is out the entire season with undisclosed medical issues; guard Archie Miaway is academically ineligible until the end of the fall semester; and center Boubacar Sylla is sidelined indefinitely with an ankle injury.

Lebo isn’t sure how serious Sylla’s injury is. The 7-foot-1 freshman suffered the injury attempting a dunk against Kennesaw State on Nov. 13; he played less than a minute in AU’s next game and hasn’t played since.

“We don’t know yet,” Lebo said when asked if Sylla could be out long-term. “It could be, it may not be. I don’t know if it’s months, but it could be a month.”