AUBURN | Chaney Johnson stepped in for an injured Johni Broome Tuesday night to score 26 points in No. 2 Auburn’s 100-59 win over Georgia State.
And if he’s called on to do the same Saturday against No. 16 Purdue, his teammates have no doubts he’ll be ready to step up once again.
“Chaney's a dog. He's a workhorse, and he's the hardest worker that I've ever seen since probably Jabari (Smith),” said senior center Dylan Cardwell. “What you guys saw the past game is nothing new. It's something he's always been working for, so he's ready for the opportunity.”
Broome, who injured his shoulder against the Panthers, is listed as day-to-day. He didn’t practice Thursday but will travel with the team to Birmingham for the game.
“The good news, it’s not a long-term problem,” said AU coach Bruce Pearl of Broome’s injury. “We’ve got a gameplan with him and without him. Probably more without him but we’ll gameplan both.”
Either way, that gameplan will certainly feature a whole lot of Johnson, who added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals against GSU. He shot 12 of 14 from the floor.
“I very rarely will say that a particular player works harder than anybody else. I’ll always say, ‘One of our hardest-working players.’ And we have. Our kids are a really hard-working team, but Chaney is just next level,” said Pearl.
“Just an unbelievable young man, unbelievable teammate. We always tell guys, ‘Stay right and stay ready,’ and he’s a real example of that.”
For Johnson, he just doesn’t know any other way. His relentless work ethic led him from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala., to UAH, where he was listed as 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds as a freshman, to Auburn four years later where he’s every bit of his listed 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds.
“I'm preparing the same way I've been preparing the entire season,” said Chaney. “I stay in the gym, I love to work. Just continuing on what I need to focus on. Focus on my effort, my energy and my focus throughout the entire game."
Tip-off at Legacy Arena is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
