Auburn standout center Johni Broome injures right shoulder in victory over Georgia State
Auburn forward Johni Broome, center, jokes around with guard Miles Kelly (13) and guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) in a timeout during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. Credit: AP/Butch Dill
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn standout center Johni Broome left Tuesday night's win over Georgia State early in the first half after injuring his right shoulder.
Broome was battling for a defensive rebound when he immediately grabbed his right shoulder and ran off the court, straight to the locker room, where he was evaluated by team doctors. He left the game just 2:17 into the eventual 100-59 victory that improved the No. 2-ranked Tigers to 10-1.
He returned to the Auburn bench midway through the first half with an ice pack on his right shoulder. The 6-foot-10 senior had two points and a blocked shot when he left the game.
“Unfortunately, Johni’s right shoulder kind of slipped out and came back,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said on the team’s postgame radio show. “We’ll get a look at it tomorrow, get an MRI tomorrow, take a peek. He did this a year ago, so he’s probably got some micro stuff and things like that. He was able to move (the shoulder) around a little bit in the training room.”
Pearl said he “can’t imagine” that Broome would be available against No. 16 Purdue on Saturday, but did not completely rule Broome out for the game.
Broome suffered an injury to the same shoulder during a preseason exhibition in 2023. He did not miss any time during the regular season, but wore a protective sleeve on the shoulder for the first several games.
“He did it a year ago, so he’s had some experience with it,” Pearl told reporters after the game. ”(We’ll) take a look at it tomorrow and tell you more. We hope he’s going to be OK.”
Auburn forward Johni Broome watches the game from the bench after sustaining an injury during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia State, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. Credit: AP/Butch Dill
Broome's injury comes during what has been a strong start to the season. He entered Tuesday's game averaging 19.7 points and a Division I-leading 12.7 rebounds. Broome had 21 points, six assists and a career-best 20 rebounds in Saturday in a 91-53 win over Ohio State in Atlanta.
If Broome is unable to play against Purdue, Auburn would turn to senior forward Chaney Johnson to replace him in the starting lineup. Johnson scored a career-high 26 points and had eight rebounds in the win over Georgia State.
“Chaney could be starting this year, very easily,” Pearl said. “And so it would affect (us), certainly, if 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.”
