Antoine Mason commits to Auburn

AUBURN -- The nation's leading returning scorer is coming to the Plains.

Antoine Mason, who averaged 25.6 points last season at Niagara, announced he will transfer to Auburn, where he will be eligible to play immediately.

By far the biggest addition to the Tigers since Bruce Pearl and his staff arrived, Mason will provide an immediate boost to an Auburn squad that returned just two starters. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard should easily fill the shooting guard spot between Tahj Shamsid-Deen and K.T. Harrell.

Mason, the son of former NBA star Anthony Mason, played three seasons at Niagara, where he was the No. 2 scorer in the country last season.

The Queens, New York native shot 44 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range last season, with 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 37.6 minutes.

Mason becomes the latest, and most productive, of several new pieces committed to join the Tigers in the fall.

Despite Pearl's NCAA show-cause penalty, his staff has been able to land commitments from New Mexico's K.C. Ross-Miller, Marshall's Kareem Canty, junior college forward Cinmeon Bowers and signed McGill-Toolen's T.J. Lang. Only Canty, who committed last week amid a back-and-forth recruitment, will have to sit out next season per transfer rules.

There will absolutely be attrition from the roster should all the newcomers qualify, not to mention signees Jack Purchase and Sam Logwood.

For a program that has been irrelevant for nearly a decade the expectations of a re-energized fan base, who is in line to sell out Auburn Arena before the season, may actually be met.

Last month, Pearl told the Montgomery Advertiser he was asking fans not to be "patient" but to "stay with us" as he rebuilds the program.

"I'm not asking anybody to be patient – don't be patient - but don't quit on us," Pearl said last month. "Don't be patient, I'm not patient either, our players shouldn't be patient. It's been 10 years since we made the NCAA Tournament - don't be patient - but stay with us. I don't know what it's going to look like."

Auburn fans may not need patience if Pearl's can mold together the pieces his staff has been able to land so far.