The Auburn basketball team will be without two players for their highly anticipated top-25 matchup with Houston as a result of a bizarre incident on an airplane while the team was en route to Houston last night.
On Friday evening, the airplane carrying the Auburn basketball team had to turn around and return to the airport because of “horseplay” among a few players that could have “escalated into a fight,” according to Field of 68's Jeff Goodman. Both Goodman and On3's Justin Hokanson reported that the two players involved were freshman Jahki Howard and senior Ja’Heim Hudson, both of whom did not travel with the team on its second flight to Houston.
“Sources: Auburn freshman F Jahki Howard and senior F Ja'Heim Hudson will not travel to Houston for Saturday night's game after an altercation between the players during travel on Friday,” Hokanson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
While it is unconfirmed if punches were thrown, the pilot of Auburn's first attempted flight did mention there was “fighting” among the players.
“We've got an altercation onboard … We've got a bunch of basketball players fighting,” the pilot told air traffic control. “The flight deck is secure, the threat level is contained for the moment. We want police on the ground … and we had two players that got into a physical altercation, clothes were ripped, and one bloodied player.”
Howard is a true freshman, having committed to Auburn in November while playing for Overtime Elite. Hudson is also a newcomer to the Tigers' program; a Georgia native, he began his career at Georgia State before transferring to SMU before the 2023 season. He transferred to Auburn in May.
The Tigers have played one game so far this season, a 94-43 win vs. Vermont, during which Howard and Hudson played 20 and 15 minutes, respectively. Howard recorded 7 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block, while Hudson tallied 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in the blowout.
Without the pair of players, No. 11 Auburn will face a big test in Houston; the Cougars are ranked fourth in the country and opened their season with a 97-40 beatdown of Jackson State.
Tipoff for Auburn vs. Houston tonight is set for 9:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Follow Us
Subscribe
