Greatest Auburn basketball players of all time, ranked

Chuck Person started his Auburn career as the Robin to Charles Barkley’s Batman. In their second and final season together, Person actually averaged more points per game (19.1) than Barkley did, though. He’d only get better from there, and he ended his collegiate career as the greatest Auburn basketball player ever.

Person averaged over 20 points per game in both his junior and senior seasons. He still sits atop the Auburn record books with 2,311 career points. His 940 career rebounds aren’t far from the top, either. Deep postseason runs didn’t come with Barkley leading the way, but Auburn made the Sweet 16 in 1985 with Person as their leader. They advanced even further to their first Elite Eight appearance when he was a senior.

2. Johni Broome, 2022-present

Auburn’s current star, who has gotten them into the Final Four for only the second time ever, is Johni Broome. After starting his career at Morehead State, Broome has become one of the best players in college basketball during his last three seasons at Auburn. In fact, Broome already won the Sporting News Player of the Year award, and he could take home more hardware as the best player in college basketball as more awards are announced.

Broome will have a chance to prove that he is the best player in the nation in the Final Four. If Auburn can win their semifinal matchup, then they may face off against Cooper Flagg and Duke in the national championship game. Flagg is the projected number-one NBA Draft pick, and he has already won the NABC Player of the Year and Oscar Robertson awards.

For Broome’s career, he ranks first in box plus/minus (12.7), third in blocks (230), eighth in points (1,697), and second in rebounds (958) in Auburn basketball history. Broome’s last two seasons are arguably the two best single seasons the program has ever witnessed. If he can win the national championship, he will take his rightful place as the greatest Auburn player ever.

3. Wesley Person, 1990-94

The Person family treated Auburn well. In addition to Chuck, his brother Wesley Person is one of the best players in program history. The 3-point line wasn’t universally adopted by the NCAA until the season after the elder Person left college, but Wesley mastered the skill when he became a Tiger.

Person is second in career 3-point makes with 262 scores from beyond the arc. He made that many deep shots with the best efficiency in Auburn’s history. Person hit threes at a .441 rate. Like his brother, Wesley surpassed the 2,000-point mark for his career, a feat only the two Persons and Mike Mitchell accomplished. Wesley even scored more points per game in a season (22.2) than Chuck ever did.

4. John Mengelt, 1968-71

The two best scoring seasons in Auburn basketball history came from John Mengelt and his ability to put the ball in the basket with ease. The guard scored 26.8 points per game in 1970. He upped that number to 28.4 the very next season.

5. Charles Barkley, 1981-84

He has already been mentioned in this article, but the biggest name on this list is Barkley. The now-famous commentator was one of the best NBA players ever, but even before that, he was pretty darn good during his time at Auburn. That is where the Hall of Famer became known as the Round Mound of Rebound. Despite his short stature, Barkley was generously listed at 6-foot-6 but was likely closer to 6-foot-4, Barkley dominated the painted area.

He was a physical specimen who could float in the air and use unmatched strength to get the angles that he needed. It all led to Barkley finishing within the top 10 in Auburn history in blocks (145) and rebounds (806). Barkley led the SEC in rebounds three times before going pro after his junior season. His final season in college was Auburn’s first in the NCAA Tournament. The double-double machine still sings Auburn’s praise on the national stage to this day.

HM. Chris Porter, 1998-2000

Chris Porter doesn’t make the top five, but he is still worth mentioning. He was a nuisance on defense and the only Auburn player ever with a career steals average above two per game. The 1999 season was one of Auburn’s best ever. The team had four players averaging double-digit scoring marks as the team would go on to break a 10-year March Madness appearance drought. Porter was the leader of that team and led the way with 16 points per game.