Auburn basketball may have dominated against Georgia State, but the Tigers suffered a concerning loss just two minutes into the game. Coming off a historic 21 points and 20 rebounds in his last outing, Auburn superstar Johni Broome dislocated his shoulder and left the contest before he eventually returned to the bench wearing a sling.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl talked to the media about Broome’s injury after his team’s 100-59 win.
“Obviously his right shoulder came out, came right back,” Pearl said. “He did it a year ago, so he’s had some experience with it. We’ll take a look at it tomorrow and tell you more. We hope he’s going to be okay.”
Broome is a national player of the year candidate, so hopefully this injury won’t keep him sidelined for too long. Thankfully for Tigers fans, their team is loaded with the kind of depth and firepower that could allow them to survive Broome’s absence.
Auburn fans should feel optimistic about Chaney Johnson stepping in for Johni Broome
While Auburn fans will hope to see Broome back soon, Chaney Johnson showed the world what he can do with extended minutes. Johnson came off the bench to score a team-high 26 points on 12/14 shooting. The backup big man also hoisted eight rebounds.
Pearl commented on Johnson’s seamless replacement of Broome in the Auburn offense.
“Are you going to stay right and are you going to stay ready,” Pearl said, per Jason Caldwell of 247Sports. “Chaney Johnson is not starting. So what? Chaney Johnson is putting the work in. Don’t have Johni, who do we go to? Chaney Johnson. He delivers.
“Great example of staying right and ready. Didn’t hear a word from him. We got the ball inside to Johni Broome over and over again. Got the ball inside to Chaney Johnson. He was ready.”
Johnson led the Tigers in points, rebounds, and minutes. The 6-foot-7 senior would start on most teams, and even Pearl knows that.
“But if he (Broome) wouldn’t be available, I’m sure Chaney Johnson would be moving in because Chaney could be starting this year very easily,” Pearl told reporters. “And so it would affect, certainly, you lose maybe one of the best players in college basketball, certainly a player of the year candidate. But again, we’ll know a lot more tomorrow.”
Auburn would love to see a speedy recovery for Broome, but the Tigers should feel no need to rush their best player back. Sitting at 10-1 on the season with only two games over the next two weeks, Auburn can likely survive a Broome absence.
