Matthew Stevens

Montgomery Advertiser

AUBURN – Auburn has found its lead guard for the 2016-17 season in the graduate transfer market.

Sources close to the situation were able to confirm to The Montgomery Advertiser shortly after an ESPN.com report from recruiting reporter Jeff Borzello that former Houston point guard Ronnie Johnson has committed to playing his final season of college basketball at Auburn.

Two weeks ago, The Montgomery Advertiser confirmed via sources close to the situation that Johnson, a 6-foot point guard, who spent last season with Houston after transferring from Purdue, was a considered a high priority target after being on a campus visit as Auburn celebrated its A-Day spring football game.

Johnson averaged 9.4 points per game in 22.3 minutes per contest at Houston in a 2015-16 season where the Cougars went 22-10 and reached the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

Borzello reported earlier in the month Johnson was also considering North Carolina State, Seton Hall, Washington, West Virginia and Georgia State. After the A-Day weekend, sources told The Montgomery Advertiser that the Auburn coaching staff “liked where they stood” with Johnson’s recruitment to his third and final college program.

Johnson announced on Twitter he would be transferring from Houston on April 4 and would be seeking a third program in his college career for his graduate transfer season.

“I plan on graduating in May and I have decided to do my 5th year somewhere else,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “This decision has nothing do with the staff. I love Htown.”

Johnson was rated a 4-star prospect in the 2012 recruiting, ranked as the No. 92 overall recruit and graded as the 11th best player in the state of Indiana in his class by ESPN.com. Johnson was ranked as the No. 94 overall recruit and the No. 14 point guard in his class by Rivals.com. Johnson averaged 20.1 points per game as a senior in 2011-12 at North Central High School in Indianapolis and two years prior teamed with brother Terone, who played at Purdue to lead North Central to 2010 Indiana Class 4A championship as a sophomore. North Central High School has produced current NBA player Eric Gordon and Central head coach Doug Mitchell is a fixture in the Indianapolis basketball scene after the 2008 USA Basketball Junior National Team head coach completed his 21st season at the high school.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who is unable to comment on potential transfers according to NCAA rules until the student-athlete signs scholarship papers or financial aid documentation, has several recruiting contacts in the Indianapolis market after spending nine seasons (1992-2001) at Division II Southern Indiana and previously spending seven years as the lead assistant at Iowa under Dr. Tom Davis.

Johnson would obviously solve a significant problem at point guard for Auburn next season after the Tigers more than struggled through the final month of the 2015-16 season after Kareem Canty left the program following a suspension to eventually turn professional.

Auburn will be bringing in four-star prospect Jared Harper from the Atlanta area for the upcoming 2016-17 but Pearl publicly stated his desire to add veteran depth to that position this offseason. Harper had offers from Kansas State, Ole Miss, UAB, Richmond, Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee, Kennesaw State, Chattanooga, Charleston, Brown and Arkansas State before committing to Auburn in March 2015.