Film Room: Johni Broome’s Mastery in Maui
Auburn has one of the most complete players in the country, and he proved it for three straight games to take home a trophy.
AUBURN — Heading into the Maui Invitational last week, Johni Broome had a legitimate claim to be the best player in college basketball right now.
Three wins against top-tier opponents and a MVP victory later, Broome left no doubt.
Against Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis — three Quad 1 games against top-30 opponents — Broome averaged 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4 “stocks” per game. He shot 52.2% from the field, 46.2% from deep and a much-improved 79% from the free-throw line.
Auburn scored 258 points on its way to winning the Maui Invitational. By either scoring or assisting, Broome was responsible for 98 of those points.
In his fifth season of college basketball, Broome has blossomed even further into an ultra-consistent superstar. He currently leads all of Division I in Player Efficiency Rating and Box Plus/Minus — two advanced statistics that measure a player’s complete contribution to the game.
And, by the way, Broome has posted those numbers while playing what has been almost a top-10 strength of schedule at this point in the season. Auburn has already won four Quadrant 1 games before it travels to play Duke and elite freshman Cooper Flagg, who is arguably Broome’s toughest competition for the Player of the Year title right now.
The Maui Invitational was far from Broome’s first standout stretch of games. But his total two-way dominance showed just how far he’s come during his time on the Plains and why he’s the centerpiece of a team that might be the top one in the sport.
In this Film Room, we’ll take a deep dive into four different areas of Broome’s game that shined the brightest in paradise. This is a full breakdown of the plays and the skills that Broome used to paint his masterpiece.
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Crafty Finishes
Throughout his career, Broome has been a player known for favoring his dominant left hand. But, in Maui, he showcased just how strong he’s gotten with his right — and the single-biggest play of the tournament came with it.
On the final possession of the Iowa State game, Auburn calls a simple high ball screen between Denver Jones and Broome. Pearl said he wanted to get Jones going downhill at the basket, and he nearly cashes in on his dribble-drive attempt.
But the ball hits back iron and comes back out, where Broome is waiting. He does a good job of charging toward the basket as soon as he sees Jones is going up, and that puts him in position for the game-winner. His left hand isn’t free, as he’s somewhat sandwiched between two defenders there. But he’s got enough room to rise up with his right and tap it home.
That monster finish would be a tone-setter of the rest of the tournament for Broome, who was simply unstoppable. That includes his work with his right. The scouting report on the big man is to take away his hard-to-guard jump hook over his right shoulder. But, if you overplay that, he can truly hurt you with his off hand.
And that all started with a challenge from Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson.