Who is Johni Broome? Auburn basketball star a national player of the year front-runner
Near the forefront of the national player of the year conversation in men's college basketball is Cooper Flagg, the Duke phenom who was one of the most highly touted recruits of his generation and is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The player who is his stiffest competition for the award didn't have nearly as clear or obvious of a road to stardom.
Johni Broome has been the catalyst for No. 2 Auburn's rise to the top of the sport for stretches of the 2024-25 season. Just three years after playing for Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference, Broome is a do-everything star for Bruce Pearl's Tigers, who were the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for more than a month before a loss last Saturday against Florida.
REQUIRED READING:Bracketology: Kansas, Kentucky continue tumble down projected NCAA Tournament field
Entering Saturday's much-anticipated game against rival Alabama, the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll, Broome leads Auburn in points, rebounds, assists and blocks per game and is only one of 13 Division I players averaging a double-double this season.
After earning third-team all-America honors last season, Broome put off declaring for the NBA draft to return to Auburn and try to lead the Tigers to a national championship after the sting of losing to Yale in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
So far, he and his team are well-positioned to reach some of their loftiest goals.
Heading into Saturday night's game against Alabama, here's a closer look at Broome, including his stats, recruiting ranking, NBA draft projections and more:
REQUIRED READING:College basketball weekend roundup: All No. 1 seeds from the SEC? It's possible
Johni Broome stats
Broome has been a difference-maker from the minute he first stepped foot on a college floor, averaging 13.7 points and nine rebounds for Morehead State as a freshman in 2020-21 and has only gotten better since then.
This season, he's averaging 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 blocks per game, making the forward/center one of the most well-rounded players in the country. He has been efficient in putting up those numbers, too, shooting 50.6% from the field.
Broome is the No. 67 scorer and No. 7 rebounder in Division I and is the only SEC player this season averaging a double-double, which is quite the feat given the league's overall strength and depth this season.
Broome missed two games last month while nursing a sprained ankle he suffered in a 66-63 win at South Carolina on Jan. 11. Auburn went 2-0 without him, defeating Mississippi State and Georgia.
Here's a look at Broome's year-by-year stats from his college career:
2020-21 (Morehead State) : 13.7 points/game, 9 rebounds/game, 0.7 assists/game, 1.9 blocks/game, 57% on field goals
: 13.7 points/game, 9 rebounds/game, 0.7 assists/game, 1.9 blocks/game, 57% on field goals 2021-22 (Morehead State) : 16.8 points/game, 10.5 rebounds/game, 1.2 assists/game, 3.9 blocks/game, 55.5% on field goals
: 16.8 points/game, 10.5 rebounds/game, 1.2 assists/game, 3.9 blocks/game, 55.5% on field goals 2022-23 (Auburn) : 14.2 points/game, 8.4 rebounds/game, 1.3 assists/game, 2.4 blocks/game, 52.7% on field goals
: 14.2 points/game, 8.4 rebounds/game, 1.3 assists/game, 2.4 blocks/game, 52.7% on field goals 2023-24 (Auburn) : 16.5 points/game, 8.5 rebounds/game, 2.2 assists/game, 2.2 blocks/game, 54.8% on field goals
: 16.5 points/game, 8.5 rebounds/game, 2.2 assists/game, 2.2 blocks/game, 54.8% on field goals 2024-25 (Auburn): 18.1 points/game, 10.7 rebounds/game, 3.3 assists/game, 2.7 blocks/game, 50.6% on field goals
Johni Broome NBA draft projections
Broome's decision to put off the NBA draft last year may pay off for more than just his Auburn team.
After there was a question of whether he would be taken in the 2024 NBA draft, Broome is generally considered to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While there have been questions about his age (he'll be 23 in July) and whether he's too undersized to be an NBA center, Broome has been praised for his versatility, rebounding, toughness and productivity.
Here's a look at where he's projected to go in various mock drafts:
REQUIRED READING:Alabama grabs No. 1 spot in USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll after losses by Auburn, Duke
Johni Broome height
Broome is listed at 6-foot-10 on Auburn's official men's basketball roster.
Johni Broome 247 ranking
Broome was rated as a three-star prospect coming out of Tampa Catholic High School in Tampa, Florida. He was the No. 471 player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 79 center, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings.
After two productive seasons at Morehead State, he was much more highly regarded, with 247 ranking him as the No. 13 available player in the transfer portal in 2022.
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