Meriden hoop star Heron heading to Auburn University

After an inaugural recruiting class that saw Pearl reel in two top 100 prospects (forwards Horace Spencer and Danjel Purifoy) and the nation’s number one junior college player (shooting guard T.J. Dunans), Bruce has already found the Pearl of his 2016 class. Mustapha Heron, a five-star shooting guard from Connecticut, is heading down south to play for the Auburn Tigers.

“I had no idea”, Heron told Scout’s Evan Daniels when asked if he had expected to commit. “They have a plan in place to help me get better”.

The commitment comes as a surprise to many, as it was widely speculated that Heron would be staying close to home and playing at St. John’s.

“I was just happy with everything at Auburn”. “The SEC is a great conference with great physical play”.

Heron originally committed to the University of Pittsburgh in January of 2014, in the middle of his sophomore year in high school.

Heron, a 6-foot-5 strongly built wing out of Waterbury (Conn.) Sacred Heart, made the pledge during an unofficial visit to Auburn’s campus on Sunday. Mullin is likely to turn his focus to Alkins, shot blocker Kassoum Yakwe (who is coming off his recent visit to St. John’s), “bucket getter” Shamorie Ponds and top JUCO prospect Bashir Ahmed. There had been speculation Heron could partner with AAU teammate Rawle Alkins, a guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., at the next level, as the duo led their New York Rens program to a summer title on the adidas Uprising circuit. Heron said Pearl and associate head coach Chuck Person prioritized him.