Auburn Led by Former Kentucky OVC College Stars

When Auburn travels to Rupp Arena Saturday afternoon, it will be a homecoming for sorts for the Tigers’ top two scorers. Before Wendell Green (13.9 points, 4.3 assists per game) and Johni Broome (14.1 points, 8.9 rebounds per game) filled up stat sheets on the plains, they were star players for Ohio Valley Conference schools in Eastern Kentucky.

Green, a Detroit native that attended La Lumiere School, started his career at Eastern Kentucky. The high-flying point guard excelled in A.W. Hamilton’s fast-paced system, shooting better than 36% from three and scoring 15.8 points per game. He led the 22-7 Colonels in scoring, but they fell short of an NCAA Tournament bid in 2021, in large part thanks to Broome.

Wendell Green scored 29 points in his final game at Eastern Kentucky, but the Colonels fell 67-64 to Morehead State in the OVC Tournament Semifinals. Freshman forward Johni Broome had 17 points and 13 rebounds at the Ford Center. That Morehead State team went on to upset Belmont to punch their NCAA Tournament ticket, ultimately falling to West Virginia in the Big Dance.

Broome was a double-double machine in two seasons at Morehead State. He finished in the top 25 nationally last year, tallying 23 double-doubles while averaging 16 points and 10.5 boards a game. He also set the Morehead State’s single-season block record with 131 swatted shots. Broome saved his best for last, scoring a career-high 32 points in the OVC Tournament Championship game, but like Green, Preston Spradlin’s Eagles came up just short, falling by four to Murray State.

When Johni Broome entered the transfer portal, many believed he would be a Kentucky Wildcat. He was the ideal replacement for Oscar Tshiebwe, until the National Player of the Year decided to return for one more year. The 6-foot-10 transfer found a new home in the SEC.

Saturday he’ll return to Rupp Arena, the sight of his first ever game as a college basketball player. Broome had 11 points and five rebounds when the Cats took down Morehead State 81-45, one of only nine wins for the 2020-21 Kentucky Wildcats.