Looking to replace a pair of big men who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, the Auburn basketball team will induct a pair of replacements on a three-game basketball exhibition tour in Israel. chestnut coach bruce pearlHe says Johni Broome Y Yohan Traore are promising additions to the list.
The two are expected to make their Auburn debuts against the Israel Under-20 National Team today in Jerusalem. The game is scheduled for noon CDT with television coverage on the SEC Network.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Broome is expected to play the post position managed by Walker Kessler last season. Kessler, who earned SEC and National Defensive Player of the Year honors by helping Auburn win the SEC championship, is preparing for his first professional season with the Utah Jazz.
Traore, 6-10 and 225, will play the role of power forward that he managed last season for Jabari Smith, who will play for the Houston Rockets this season. Smith won the SEC and National Freshman of the Year awards.
“Yohan is as talented as we have on the roster,” Pearl said of the freshman from France, who played at Dream City Christian School last season in Arizona.
“Right now, just like many, many freshmen, he’s just learning where he’s supposed to go and what he’s supposed to do, where he’s supposed to be and what game this is,” said Pearl, who noted that it can be hard to adjust. to a new level as you learn new plays and concepts while asking yourself “Where am I supposed to be? That’s probably what I think it’s going to be for him.
“You will see real signs that he is a professional. He is a very good worker, a very, very good boy. He is another guy who is very hard on himself. He is very conscientious and he wants it right now. “He can shoot the ball and get the ball to the basket. He can guard multiple positions. He stays in the air for a long time. He is an athlete on another level.”
The three games scheduled in Israel will be Broome’s first with the Tigers. He spent the previous two seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference at Morehead State University, where he was one of the best players in that league.
“Johni is a great, great guy,” Pearl said. “He is a very conscientious guy. He is very hard on himself.”
Broome averaged a double-double in points and rebounds last season and was also one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball. Pearl said the big man is working with strength and conditioning coach Damon Davis to help adjust to the more physical style of play he’ll see in the SEC.
Pearl said he likes Broome’s quickness for a big guy, adding, “He’s a really good passer. He has a very established mid-range jump shot, and he’s working hard to expand his 3-point shot.”
Since transferring to Auburn for summer school, Broome has done additional workouts on top of the team sessions that included an additional 10 practices for the entire team to prepare for the exhibition tour.
The first match against the Israel Under-20 National Team will be played at the Malha Arena in Jerusalem. All three games are scheduled for television coverage on the SEC Network beginning at noon.
Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday against an all-star Israeli team at the Tel Aviv Sports Palace and the final game of the tour is a day later against the Israel National Team.
AUBURN SUMMER BASKETBALL NOTES
Key Returnees: 6-0, 185 Jr. Guard johnson (12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds); 5-11 175 Guard Jr. wendell green (12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists); 6-6, 200 Senior/Forward Guard allen flanigan (6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds); 6-8, 230 forward Jaylin Williams (5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds); 6-0, 190gr. Guard jasper zep (5.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists), 6-11, 255 Jr. center dylan cardwell (3.0 points, 3.0 rebounds); 6-4, 215 Senior shooting guard Lior Berman (2.0 points, 0.7 rebounds); 6-6, 230 Jr. forward Chris Moore (1.7 points, 1.4 rebounds)
Key Losses: forward Jabari Smith (16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds); center Walker Kessler (11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.6 blocks); Guard DevanCambridge (5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds)
Newcomers: 6-10, 235 center Johni Broome; 6-2 guard tre donaldson; 6-10, 225 forward Yohan Traore; 6-6, 190 guard Westry Opportunity
Auburn’s last exhibition tour: In the summer of 2017-18, the Tigers went 4-0 in games played in Italy against three teams from that nation and one from Lithuania. Current NBA Player chuma okeke post three double-doubles on the trip.
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