Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils was crowned college basketball Player of the Year on Friday but there’s still a chance for his closest rival to snatch the real glory.
In the POTY voting Flagg finished ahead of Johni Broome of Auburn University. Both players led their teams into the Final Four of March Madness and they could meet in the national championship game on Monday.
But while Flagg has grabbed the headlines this year and looks set to be the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NBA Draft, Broome has a real claim to be the Player of the Year. His Auburn seen entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and Broome has starred with big performances in big games. His head coach knows exactly how important his contribution has been.
“I would think that he’s got a chance to have been maybe the most impactful transfer in college basketball history,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said of Broome. “A lot of that’s going to depend on how this finishes up.”
Broome is now one of the stars of the college game but his NCAA career began in less heralded circumstances. After gaining a solid reputation in high school he committed to Morehead State and quickly became a key player
He was named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and put up 27 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over Belmont in the OVC tournament final. That offseason he entered the transfer portal and announced that he would be transferring to Auburn, where he has developed his game even further.
He’s now a two-time All-SEC First Team selection and was crowned SEC Tournament MVP in 2024. If Broome can lead Auburn to a first national championship in program history he will have reiterated his own claim to be the best player in the NCAA game.
“I think I am the best player in college basketball, but that’s something that doesn’t have to be said,” Broome said. “It’s one of those things where you let your work speak for itself and let everybody else talk about it.”
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