In the wake of Johni Broome's injury, Auburn basketball's Chaney Johnson is rising to the occasion
Things were almost incredibly bad for the Auburn basketball team on Tuesday night. Shortly into the first half of the game, Johni Broome went up for a rebound and came down clutching at his shoulder before running off the court into the locker room. Broome disappeared for a short while before returning to the bench in a hoodie with ice taped to his shoulder.
Broome's return to the bench was a good sign, and he seemed to be in relatively good spirits throughout the game while interacting with his teammates and enjoying fruit snacks. But the Auburn family waited on the edges of their seats for the real news as it was announced Broome would be "evaluated" at the half and then again after the game.
As the week passed by, we now know that it is not a season-ending injury for Broome, who is widely considered the frontrunner for Player of the Year, and that it's likely there won't be an extended absence from the Tigers' big man. But in his absence, Chaney Johnson is ready to step up.
This weekend, the Tigers will head to Birmingham to take on Purdue, and although head coach Bruce Pearl said Broome will travel with the team, it's up in the air whether or not he will play in Saturday's game against the Boilermakers. Should Broome be out, Johnson will get his first start of the season.
"I'm preparing the same way I've been preparing the entire season," Johnson said, per Auburn Undercover. "I stay in the gym, I love to work. Just continuing what I need to focus on."
Pearl has the utmost confidence in Johnson, and attributes his improvements from last season to the hard work he has put in in preparation for this year.
"You guys have been with me 11 years now — I very rarely will say that a particular player works harder than anybody else," Bruce Pearl said. "I'll always say, 'One of our hardest-working players.' And we have. Our kids are a really hard-working team. But Chaney is just next level."
The #2 Tigers and the #16 Boilermakers will tip-off from Birmingham this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. central time.