JUCO forward plans visit

Auburn basketball is looking for an immediate impact player to replace departing senior forward Allen Payne and help alleviate the scoring loss of senior guard Chris Denson.

That prospect could be Eastern Oklahoma State Community College forward DeVaughn Purcell.

Originally from Orlando, Fla., Purcell holds offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, TCU, George Mason and Western Kentucky among others.

"I'm going to start narrowing things down soon," Purcell told AuburnSports.com. "I want to go somewhere that I can play early, but I'm most definitely interested in Auburn. I think it's a great school."

The ability to move closer to his home in Florida is an advantage for the Tigers.

"Moving closer to home, that could be big," Purcell said. "My family is there and then they could visit me."

Tigers' assistant Ryan Miller is recruiting Purcell to the Plains.

"He's a great guy, great coach," Purcell said. "I talk to him and Coach (Tony) Barbee all the time. They are cool guys. They believe I can come in and make an impact for Auburn. "They believe I'm active and when they see me play, they want me to work on staying out of foul trouble, but they like my style of play and my fit, they said they love me."

Purcell is averaging 21 points and five rebounds per game this season. Auburn, TCU, George Mason were among the programs checking out Purcell on Thursday night, where Purcell scored 28 points and grabbed five rebounds against Murray State College in a 85-74 win.

Eastern Oklahoma State College is 20-8 on the season. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Purcell plans to make a top five after his season ends at the end of March and plans to take five official visits. The only programs Purcell has plans to visit at this point are Auburn and Ole Miss.

"I don't have a specific date for a final commitment," Purcell. "I will take my visits and then decide. I would love to take all five, but if I could come to Auburn on my first visit and love it, I could commit there."