<
>

Johni Broome leaves Morehead State, enters men's basketball transfer portal with Gonzaga, Auburn among possible suitors

Morehead State star Johni Broome entered the transfer portal on Monday, immediately becoming one of the top-five transfers this spring.

Broome, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center from Florida, was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in each of the past two seasons. He averaged 16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks this past season, shooting 55.5% from the field. He ranked third nationally in blocked shots. Broome nearly carried the Eagles to the NCAA tournament, finishing with 32 points and eight rebounds in the OVC tournament championship game against Murray State.

In 2020-21, he put up 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He dominated the OVC title game, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Belmont.

Broome has already heard from more than a dozen power-conference programs. He told ESPN on Monday afternoon that Gonzaga, Ohio State, Auburn, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Houston, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Arkansas and Georgia Tech have all reached out.

He also entered his name into the NBA draft Friday, but did not sign with an agent and is retaining his college eligibility. Broome isn't ranked inside ESPN's top 100 for the 2022 NBA draft and the expectation is he returns to college next season.