In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, Johni Broome is SEC Player of the Week for the second straight week, and Bruce Pearl reacts to the Neville Arena renovation news
For the second week in a row, Auburn basketball big man Johni Broome has been named SEC Player of the Week. After missing two games with an ankle injury sustained in the Tigers' matchup with South Carolina, Broome returned with a vengeance and has dominated in Auburn's last three games.
Broome first earned the honors after his return game against Tennessee in which he logged 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. In last week's games against LSU and Ole Miss, the big man recorded 46 points, 28 rebounds and five blocks.
Bruce Pearl reacts to the Neville Arena renovation news
Several years ago it was a priority within the Auburn Athletics Department to complete a new basketball practice facility. With gymnastics, volleyball, and men's and women's basketball all competing for space in Neville Arena, changes needed to be made.
Now, the plans for a new facility will likely be scrapped by the board, and the plan will instead shift to renovate existing spaces in Neville Arena, which will include "providing enhancements to the existing practice gym, scholarship lobby upgrades, and relocated and enlarged team meeting and office spaces within the men's and women's basketball suites," according to Auburn Undercover.
For Bruce Pearl, with the introduction of NIL to the sport, prioritizing funds to maintain and improve the roster has taken precedence over facilities. With the plans changing, Pearl still points to NIL and seems to be happy with the direction the athletic department is going.
"Well first of all grateful to the board and to our athletic director, John Cohen, for wanting to continue to upgrade this phenomenal facility," Pearl said Monday. "Would any basketball coach like to have a standalone, state-of-the-art basketball facility? Of course, I'd be disingenuous if I said that we wouldn't love to have that. But when NIL came in at the same time that our new practice facility was approved … I just looked at it all at that time when NIL first came out and said, 'I just don't think we can do this right now.' Or whether we should do this right now because we're going to need to fund our student-athletes in all sports."
The Tigers will return to action this Saturday when they host No. 6 Florida on the Plains.