AUBURN — Johni Broome won’t miss significant time with the shoulder injury he suffered against Georgia State, Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl confirmed Thursday.
The program announced Wednesday that an MRI revealed Broome wouldn’t need surgery on his right shoulder, and that he’d “immediately” enter rehabilitation protocol. The announcement said Broome would be day to day and it didn’t offer a timeline for his return.
“He won’t practice today, but he will travel, obviously, up there,” Pearl said. “I couldn’t even tell you status, whether it’s questionable, not likely. We just don’t know. But the good news — it’s not a long-term problem.”
While Broome will travel to Birmingham for Auburn’s matchup with No. 16 Purdue on Saturday, the biggest factor in his availability will be if he practices Friday. Pearl’s philosophy on availability has often been, if a player can’t practice the day prior to a game, they won’t play.
The second-ranked Tigers and Boilermakers will tip off at 3:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Legacy Arena.
Through 10 games, Broome led the Tigers in scoring (19.7 points), rebounds (12.7), assists (3.8) and blocks (2.8). His rebounding average led the country, and his block average led the SEC.
What happened? How Auburn basketball’s Johni Broome injured his shoulder
At the 17:42 mark of the first half, Broome rushed himself off the floor and into Auburn’s tunnel, holding his shoulder.
He didn’t return for a little more than six minutes of game time, first reappearing on the Auburn bench at the 11:34 media timeout. Broome came back to the bench wearing a hoodie and what appeared to be an ice wrap over his right shoulder.
Andy Burcham, the voice of the Tigers, said on the Auburn Sports Network that Broome was expected to be reevaluated at halftime. Shortly following Tuesday’s halftime intermission, Broome was officially ruled out for the rest of the game, per a program spokesperson.
While he didn’t come back out through tunnel, Broome rejoined Auburn’s bench in the second half sans hoodie and ice, wearing a T-shirt. His right arm was in a sling.
Who replaces Johni Broome in Auburn basketball’s lineup?
Without Broome, Auburn is sure to lean heavily on starting center Dylan Cardwell for a frontcourt presence, but reserve forward Chaney Johnson is the next Tiger up at the four position.
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Coming into Tuesday’s contest, Johnson was averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. But after Broome’s exit, he took over and finished with a game-high 26 points, which gave him a new Auburn career-best.
“If he (Broome) wouldn’t be available, I’m sure Chaney would be moving in,” Pearl said.
It’s also likely SMU transfer Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson would see elevated minutes without Broome. Hudson has played in just five contests this season, averaging 6.6 minutes and 1.8 points. Against Georgia State, he logged four points and three rebounds in a season-high 17 minutes.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bruce Pearl updates Johni Broome’s status for Auburn basketball
