A day after the departure of center Boubacar Sylla opened up yet another spot on the Auburn basketball roster, the Tigers brought in a new face.

Guard Tony Neysmith, who spent last season at Oklahoma, has transferred to AU. The 6-foot-5, 203-pounder played in 22 games for the Sooners, with four starts. He averaged 0.5 points and 0.6 rebounds last season.

He will be eligible to play for Auburn starting in the 2009-10 season.

“We are very excited about Tony joining our program,” Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said in a statement released by the school. “He is used to winning and has played for winning programs, and I know he is excited to be at Auburn and to be closer to home.”

Neysmith is a native of Norcross, Ga., where he played at Norcross High.

He averaged 10.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 points as a senior, as Norcross won a Class 5A state title.

“I am definitely excited,” Neysmith said in a statement. “It is definitely a great chance to come back close to home and play.

“I think we have a real good coaching staff. Coach Lebo does a real good job coaching guards since he was a guard at a big time level. It is just a great opportunity for me.”

The addition of Neysmith leaves Auburn with two available scholarships. The Tigers signed four players in the early signing period and return six scholarship players from last year’s team.

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