This Final Four must captivate Charles Barkley.
No. 1 Auburn, Barkley’s alma mater, enjoys a shot at its first national championship, and Tigers big man Johni Broome has a path toward becoming the greatest player in program history.
That’s straight from Chuck's mouth.
“If he’s able to win a championship, I’d say he’s the greatest player in Auburn history. … He’s better than me in college,” Barkley, widely viewed as the current designee for best Auburn hoopster ever, said on CBS before Auburn’s first-round game.
I’m not so sure Broome shouldn’t already hold Auburn basketball’s GOAT distinction, regardless of what happens in San Antonio.
Charles Barkley or Johni Broome in greatest Auburn basketball player debate
Barkley is Auburn royalty. Nothing will change that. He became the SEC’s player of the year in 1984 while leading Auburn to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The tournament included 48 teams then. Richmond upset Auburn in the first round, despite Barkley’s 23 points and 17 rebounds.
Great as Barkley was at Auburn, legendary though he became in the NBA and beloved though he is on the Plains – a statue honoring Barkley greets fans outside Neville Arena – Broome became Auburn’s first consensus All-America selection in program history. He’s rivaling Duke’s Cooper Flagg for national player of the year honors. Sporting News tapped Broome for the designation.
Broome polished his place in Auburn history in the Elite Eight, after he headed to the ...
