Former NHS player Aubin chooses Spring Hill

Picayune High graduate Travis Aubin, a former Northshore basketball player, has signed a letter of intent to attend Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala.

Aubin was also recruited by Dillard University in New Orleans, Johnson and Wales in Miami and Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.

Aubin said he chose Spring Hill because he has a chance to get on the court his freshman season.

“I looked at it as a good opportunity to play, and that doesn’t come around very often,” Aubin said. “There is no going somewhere else and coming back to play. It’s a one-time opportunity, and it will help me prosper.”

The signee added that Spring Hill has a nice campus and the transition will be easier as Chris Dees, a good friend who also played for Picayune, will be his roommate at Spring Hill.

Aubin played at Northshore through his junior season before transferring to Picayune Memorial High, a Class 4A school in Mississippi.

His senior year saw him named as an all-district honorable mention.

He averaged 6.5 points per game, while adding 3.2 assists. He shot 52 percent from the field, 28 percent for 3-pointers and 84 percent from the free-throw line.

He ended up playing all four of his high school seasons with Dale Chimento, who left NHS following the 2006-07 school year and went to Picayune last season as an assistant. He is now the head coach at Slidell High.

Chimento said Aubin got better as he got older and added the point guard understands the game.

“Travis developed, and each year he got better,” Chimento said. “He sees the floor well and passes the ball at the right time. He has good instincts about when to give it up.”

Chimento also said he likes the move for Aubin.

“I think this is a great opportunity. If he goes in there, competes and trains hard, he should have a good opportunity to help their program,” Chimento said.

This season, the Maroon Tide went undefeated in district at 14-0 and had a 33-5 overall record.

Picayune made it to the state finals before falling to New Hope, 56-51, in an overtime game held in Jackson. The Maroon Tide did, however, capture the Southstate Title for the sixth time in seven years. The top four teams in each district are eligible to compete in that tournament.

Academically, Aubin finished his high-school career in the National Honor Society. He was an All-State Scholar Athlete and posted a 3.95 grade point average his senior year.

Travis is the son of Ray and Melanie Aubin.