One is a fifth-year senior who began his career at a mid-major, the other a first-year wunderkind recruited by everyone. The first is a now leading a program on the rise, while the other is the unmistakable star for a traditional power.
Johni Broome of Auburn and Cooper Flagg of Duke do have something in common, though: The forwards were unanimous first-team picks for The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America teams released Tuesday.
They were joined on the first team by Alabama star Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida.
Only Broome, a third-team pick a year ago, and Flagg were among the first five on the ballots of all 61 national media members who vote for the weekly AP Top 25. Broome becomes the Tigers' fourth All-American and first to make the first team, while Flagg is the 19th different Blue Devils player to earn first-team recognition.
‘‘He’s doing things nobody really has ever done before," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “And he’s not about numbers. I’m telling you, when this dude goes home, somebody says to him, ‘Man, you had 42, six and seven,’ he’ll say, ‘OK, cool.’ That’s not what he’s about, which to me makes it even better because you can get caught up with that, especially as a young player.‘’
Maybe that is something else that Broome and Flagg have in common: Both are eyeing a national championship. Auburn spent eight weeks at No. 1 this year, while Duke ascended to the top spot when the Tigers stumbled down the stretch.
Now, the two programs head to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in their respective regions.
‘‘I’ve proved a lot individually through my career but my main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship,‘’ said Broome, who played two seasons at Morehead State before spending the past three with the Tigers. “When the team shines, everyone shines individually. Coming from where I came from, it means a lot to me.‘’
