ATLANTA — Having watched her son Johni play so many games over so many years, Julie Broome was used to seeing him get hurt. So when Johni crumpled to the floor and didn’t get up with 10:37 left to play in Auburn’s Elite Eight game against Michigan State on Sunday evening, Julie stood in her seat inside State Farm Arena and searched for any sign that all was well.
“I needed to get a thumbs up from him to see if he was okay, or something in his eyes,” she said. “And I didn’t get that.”
The only thing more problematic than a concerned mom is a determined mom, so when Julie decided she needed to speak with her son directly, there was no security guard brave enough to stop her. As Johni walked off the court holding his right (non-shooting) elbow, Julie and her husband John made their way to the floor. “He said he felt something jar in his arm,” Julie said. “He thought he was done.”
At the time, Auburn led 50-40, an advantage built largely during an explosive 17-0 run midway through the first half. Broome, a 6-foot-9 senior forward who was a consensus All-American and National Player of the Year candidate, put up a double double (17 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half and lifted Auburn to a 33-24 lead at intermission. So his teammates and coaches – not to mention the partisan crowd — were understandably concerned when he left the game. Auburn’s offense stalled while Broome was out, but its defense remained elite, leaving the frustrated Spartans unable to cut into the lead.
Meanwhile, in a room in a back hallway, Auburn’s team physician Dr. Michael Goodlett was checking out Broome’s mangled chicken wing. An X-ray revealed no structural damage. “The doctor said, good news, it’s not broken,” Julie said. “Johni said, can I go back in? If it ain’t broke, I can go back in.” Dr. Goodlett was skeptical, but Broome insisted. So Auburn’s trainer Clark Pearson wrapped it up and gave Johni the okay.
The partisan crowd erupted when Broome emerged from the tunnel with about six minutes to play and the Tigers leading 57-47. (Google Willis Reed, kids.) Broome walked straight to his coach, Bruce Pearl. “I hadn’t talked to the doctor,” Pearl said afterward. “I just asked him, are you good to go? He said, I am. I said, well get your ass in there.”
Broome checked into the game, but he could barely move his arm, much less bend his elbow. “At that moment, I just wanted to help my teammates,” Broome said. “If that’s coming back out and playing and hitting one shot and grabbing the rebound, I was going to do it.”
It turns out that even a one-armed Johni Broome is better than no Johni Broome. He used his one good arm to yank down a defensive rebound. On the ensuing possession, he swished a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Tigers a 60-48 lead. When Pearl pulled him out with 3:37 to play, Auburn was up 62-50. Michigan State could get no closer than nine until 6-foot-4 senior guard Jaden Akins hit a meaningless three-pointer with 13 seconds to make the final score 70-64.
It was a victory befitting the NCAA Tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, but this was an ugly game, played at the grinding pace Michigan State preferred. Both teams shot terribly from three-point range (Michigan State was 7 for 23, Auburn 7 for 25). The Spartans owned a slight advantage on the boards (41-39) and the foul line (13-11). The difference was Broome, who finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. Auburn also only committed six turnovers. It wasn’t an aesthetically pleasing performance, but it was a dominant one as the Tigers led the game for all but 22 seconds.
For Broome’s teammates and coaches, seeing him battle his way through injury was nothing new. “Johni is a dog. That’s what dogs do,” 6-foot-6 senior guard Miles Kelly said. Pearl reflected on the other times this season when Broome returned from injuries sooner than projected. “He dislocated his shoulder against Georgia State. He put a shoulder harness on and five days later played against Purdue,” he said. “He sprained his ankle in our second SEC game. He was supposed to be out three or four weeks. He came back in two. Johni Broome is old school. It’s not about, well, you know, I’m worried about my draft stock or I’m worried about this. It’s hey, I worry about my brothers. I’m worried about Auburn. And he wants this as much for the Broome family as he does for the Auburn family.”
When the celebratory net cutting and confetti tossing was done, a reality set in that Auburn could go into the Final Four with its best weapon dealing with a significant injury. That could be a problem as the Tigers prepare to play SEC rival Florida, which beat them 90-81 at Auburn Arena in their only meeting this season. “I think we won’t really know until tomorrow,” Pearl said of Broome’s injury. “Whether it’s a slight hyperextension or whatever it was, obviously the doctors were able to examine it and determine that there was no damage. I bet you it will be pretty sore tomorrow, though.”
There is much uncertainty in the days ahead, but for one night, Broome’s provided both of his families a watershed victory and an indelible memory. “That was crazy,” Julie Broome said. “I’m very, very proud. Proud isn’t even the word. There’s not even a word I can tell you right now for how I feel. But Final Four, here we come.”
