Bruce Pearl makes definitive statement on Johni Broome NPOY campaign

The Auburn Tigers are heading into the final stretch of the season regarded as one of the best teams in all of college basketball. That’s in no small part because of the success that forward Johni Broome has had for the Tigers.

After a slow start against Georgia, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl turned to one of his best players to try and step up and help the Tigers avoid an upset. That meant turning to Johni Broome, who he said after the game should be the National Player of the Year.

“Well, that’s why he’s Player of the Year,” Bruce Pearl said. “Unbelievable poise. He plays at a great pace offensively, and the fact that he’s patient, calculating, and the fact that he attacked the rim like he did in this game so much. I mean, that was the biggest difference at the end of the day. We had 4 and they didn’t. And 4 played pretty good tonight.”

While the NPOY race is far from over, it’s hard not to see that Johni Broome has put himself very much in that discussion. In 25 games this season, Broome is averaging 18.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He’s shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range. Defensively, he has 2.6 blocks per game.

This is the third season that Broome has played at Auburn under Pearl. Prior to that, he spent two seasons at Morehead State. Over the course of that time, Broome was no stranger to awards and national recognition. He’s a two-time All-SEC selection, two-time All-OVC selection, and was the SEC Tournament MVP. Still, the National Player of the Year Award would be a massive accolade to add.

In the game against Georgia, Johni Broome scored 31 points, had 14 rebounds, and four assists. It was the most points and sixth most rebounds he’s had in any individual game this season, and he led all players in both scoring and rebounding in the Georgia game.

It’s hard to expect that kind of performance every night out, but for an Auburn team that has a target on its back, it’s the type of performance that helps keep the Tigers at the top of the SEC. So, Johni Broome will look to keep playing at that high level while Bruce Pearl will look to have Auburn finish the season on a high note in the final couple of weeks this regular season. That final two-week stretch begins with a game against Ole Miss on Wednesday.