The biggest question facing Auburn on Saturday was who would be the main player responsible for handling the ball in the absence of Sharife Cooper. While that duty fell to Allen Flanigan on Tuesday night in the loss to Florida, it was Jamal Johnson who started at the point against the Vols.
His teammate Jaylin Williams knew he was ready to produce.
“He was really locked in,” Williams said of Johnson. “After Sharife (Cooper) got hurt in practice, I believe Jamal in his head said, ‘I’ve got to lock in. I’ve got to learn more at the 1. I’ve got to be more patient with the play calls.’ He can’t push the fastbreak too much, so he was very patient today.”
Flanigan was almost flawless in 31 minutes of play, putting up 14 points — a majority in the second half — and shooting 6-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch while three assists and two steals to just one turnover.
Johnson’s impact on the game wasn’t lost on Bruce Pearl.
“That was the key to the game,” Pearl said. “He (Johnson) gets the game ball because of it. Again, putting him in that position let him set us up, and it let Al Flanigan be Al Flanigan and be a dominant player off the ball as a scorer. It paid off for us. That paid off for us. But obviously, Jamal played (great). He’s the oldest guy, he’s the smartest guy. It shows his versatility. When Jamal Johnson looks back at his career, I want him to remember this AUTLIVE game. I want him to remember this game. The fact that he was able to take the ball over, in an SEC game, and play point guard, a position he hadn’t played all year long virtually, and only have one turnover? Pretty impressive.”