“Straight vert is kinda crazy”: College hoops fans demand 1 thing for Jahki Howard from Auburn after dominant dunk
Jahki Howard had a career night in his return against the Richmond Spiders. The freshman forward posted a career-high 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting in 21 minutes to help the Auburn Tigers clinch a dominant 98-54 win. Only three of Howard's points came off the 3-point line as he accumulated four slams throughout the game.
The most emphatic of them was a bunny hop slam over 6-foot-8 Jonathan Beagle in the last stretch of the game. Howard grabbed an offensive rebound off an airball, quickly hopping into a dunking position and leaping over Beagle.
Fans united in the comments section to showcase their excitement about Jahki Howard's dunk:
"Dude finally got play time and touches 😂," a fan wrote.
"Straight vert is kinda crazy," another fan commented.
"Almost gave me that Vince Carter over Alonzo Morning kinda vibe," another fan wrote.
More fans joined in, asking for coach Bruce Pearl to make changes around Howard's development:
"Finally play that man," a fan commented.
"Give him da ball and watch him work bru 😂💯," another fan wrote.
"Just need a coach that’s going to understand how to communicate and coach him with the abilities he has.," another fan commented.
Bruce Pearl and Tahaad Pettiford react to Jahki Howard's outing
While Auburn’s leader in steals, Tahaad Pettiford, was amazed by Jahki Howard’s dunk clinic against Richmond, the guard claimed that he has experience in witnessing Howard’s high-flying ways.
"It kinda surprises me it was his first game back and his first college body," Pettiford said. "It was huge. I've seen that multiple times. It's nothing new, to be honest."
Coach Bruce Pearl also praised the freshman for his performance and hinted at a potentially bigger role for Howard deeper in the season:
"There's an example of a guy that is going to help us get better," Bruce Pearl said. "He's going to make some mistakes, he made some tonight. But he's going to make a lot happen, too. I was pleased with having him on the floor and some things that he did."
Howard is coming off six DNP games. The absence came after involvement in a fight during the team’s flight to Houston. Auburn (8-1) will play the Ohio State Buckeyes at State Farm Arena on Saturday for the Holiday Hoopsgiving game.