After the departure of big man Keyshawn Murphy following his final season of eligibility in the 2025-2026 campaign, the signing of big man Bukky Oboye was an important one for the Auburn Tigers on April 17.
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The 7-foot-1 center that transferred over from Santa Clara provided a key inside piece to pair with Narcisse Ngoy out of France, allowing for the center to position to have depth that was not there a year ago.
Auburn hosted its annual Pro Day on Thursday, part of which showcased an intrasquad scrimmage that split the team up into two sides and saw them go head to head in five four-minute periods.
Oboye was one of the top performers in the scrimmage, being utilized a number of times inside the paint to help him total 15 points, four rebounds and one steal. He went 5-for-7 from the field overall and 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
“Bukky has been really good these past couple of weeks,” said Tigers forward Thomas Dowd. “I mean, the guy's 7-foot, and now he has a high motor, because he's in shape. He freaking jumps out of the gym. It's special.”
In his redshirt sophomore season with the Broncos, Oboye averaged 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while also finishing fourth in the West Coast Conference with 1.2 blocks per game.
The center had multiple dunks in the scrimmage, but showed off his presence inside throughout the entire afternoon, something Head Coach Steven Pearl said is a solid trait to have.
“When Bukky gets out and goes to the rim, he always presents a lob threat, and with that, that collapses the defense and that draws multiple defenders,” Pearl said. “That could either mean Tahaad could get to the basket for a layup or if they have to help off the weak side, they could have a shooter in the corner.”
In the grand scheme of things, Oboye’s play allows other things to happen around him, providing other opportunities on the offensive side—and Pearl is a big fan of that.
“When Bukky just goes out there and pops, obviously that's what the defense wants,” Pearl said. “Even though he's shooting a really good percentage from 3, he's got to mix up when he pops and when he attacks the rim. I thought today he did a much better job of really aggressively attacking the rim, and that allowed for things to open up for that team.”
With Ngoy’s recent clearance by the NCAA to play in the 2026-2027 season, Pearl believes the rotation of both of them being on the court could benefit them going forward.
It gives Auburn a lot of options, ones the second-year leader hopes to utilize.
“I thought Narcisse and Bukky, when they play with that motor and that energy, they kind of change the trajectory of our team,” Pearl said.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
