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Johni Broome shares insight into special moment with Charles Barkley after Final Four loss
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Johni Broome only had 15 points on Saturday night in a Final Four game against an SEC rival.
He faded down the stretch, too, and only took 14 shots in 34 minutes of a bitter 79-73 loss to Florida in which the Tigers had an 8-point halftime lead and appeared on the path to the national title game. All that disappeared in the second half, though, thanks to another Gators rally and another clutch performance from Broome’s All-American counterpart, Walter Clayton Jr.
All of that will be hard to digest for Broome in the days, weeks, months and even years ahead. The senior forward won’t get another chance at a collegiate title as he heads off to the NBA. But aside from the great experience of just being in a Final Four, Broome will always cherish a moment he shared with Auburn basketball legend Charles Barkley after it was all over.
“He thanked me for what I’ve done for Auburn. Told me to keep my head high. Coming from a guy who’s cemented himself in Auburn history, it means a lot,” said Broome when asked in the postgame press conference about the interaction with Barkley.
From one Auburn legend of the past to one of the present, it was a special moment, even if it wasn’t a special night for the Tigers in the end.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
