War Eagle Luke Cothron

The Huntsville basketball pipeline now apparently runs through Auburn.

Auburn coach Tony Barbee signed his second Rocket City prospect in as many weeks, as highly touted forward Luke Cothron, who inked with the Tigers on Thursday,  will join Josh Langford to suddenly give Auburn’s frontcourt of the future a formidable one-two punch.

“Luke gives us a different level of talent,“ Barbee said in a university statement. “He is an immediate difference maker for us along the frontline. He is a guy who has the ability to score the ball in a variety of ways inside and outside. He has a knack for being around the ball which makes him a great rebounder.“

Cothron, at 6-foot-9 and 218 pounds, averaged 31 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks per game as a senior last year for Flora Macdonald Academy in Red Springs, N.C. He was considered the nation’s 45th best prospect and No. 11 power forward by Rivals.com.

Cothron chose Auburn over Kentucky, UConn and Tennessee among many others.

Unless current scholarship players or signees opt out of their National Letter of Intent, Auburn’s roster is now at capacity. The late signing period ends May 19.

“Auburn is a program that should be recruiting nationally, but there are good enough players in our backyard and in the Southeast to build a national program every year,“ Barbee said in an interview with the Opelika-Auburn News last week. “Because of the contacts I have and my staff has, we’ll be able to reach out on a national and even international basis.“