Bruce Pearl has ignited the fan base at Auburn. (John Reed-USA TODAY Sports)
Most athletic directors talk about wanting to make a “splash” hire when there is a coaching change in football or basketball. However, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs’ hire of Bruce Pearl as the Tigers’ 21st head basketball coach might have been the tidal wave that turns over the surf boards of the other 13 basketball programs in the SEC.
Pearl, off of an abominably unfair three-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA on August 24, is hungry to return to the court which will see the slumbering Auburn basketball program awaken to one of the most stellar and enthusiastic personalities in any sport. It doesn’t hurt that his Xs and Os and coaching methods equate to those of a lottery ticket that can push Auburn into the upper echelon of SEC basketball and stabilize the program.
“From my standpoint, I really love SEC basketball,” explained Pearl, “I was really proud that we helped Tennessee represent the SEC well over that period of time and being away from that over the last few years, I was no longer in that position. In coming back into the SEC now, if Auburn gets back to the NCAA Tournament and we just simply rekindle what Sonny did or what Cliff (Ellis) did or what Charles (Barkley) did or what Chuck (Person) has done, I don’t have to do it for the first time. It’s already been done, it would be pretty special to do it two places.”
Pearl’s love for the SEC is deep as he had such vested interest in the Volunteers in leading them into NCAA play six times with three Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight that saw them lose to Michigan State by a point. That is capitalized by 18 postseason appearances in 19 years as he took Southern Indiana University to a Division-II national championship in 1995 after the Screaming Eagles were the runner up in ’94. He led UW-Milwaukee to two regular season Horizon League titles and two tournament championships in his four years with the Panthers.
Pearl, decorated as a coach, has reached out to the Auburn Family and the community in his first month on the Plains. Legendary Tigers’ basketball coach Sonny Smith came to his office and helped him with the “landscape” of Auburn as well as joining his former superstar, Chuck Person, for the news conference that announced Person’s hiring to the staff.
Hiring Person was a stellar move for Pearl. Person has a plethora of coaching experience in the NBA after an encompassing 14-year career. In addition, Person is a native of Brantley, Ala., and will have the ability to reach out in the hoops circles in the state. This is a huge plus for Pearl’s philosophy as he notes that being able to win the recruiting battles in Alabama is a must to steer the program forward.
“I think bringing Chuck back was important to a lot of people,” Pearl noted, “One of the great motivations to bring Chuck back, was first off all, he was a great NBA player, a terrific assistant coach and the right-hand man to guys like Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson. He’s been an assistant general manager, so he knows what it takes to get to the NBA himself and for others and that is something important to have on your staff, to help the student athletes and their dreams.”
Barkley still has an immense passion and desire to see Auburn win. Pearl met with him at the Final Four and noted that Barkley was among those who had entrusted him to breathe life into his alma mater, which has only two winning seasons in the last 10 years.
“Charles and Chuck know what Auburn basketball can look like,” Pearl said. “They both trusted me to help restore that and bring that back. Charles is a great alum of the institution. He loves this place and he has talked about the fact that in the transition he made from the high school to college to the pros, the Auburn family made a significant difference in his life.”
Barkley played for Smith as well. He led Auburn to its first NCAA appearance in 1984, when the Tigers were upset by Richmond in Charlotte. From there, he went on to the NBA.
Person picked up and led the Tigers to within one game of the Final Four in 1986 when they lost to Louisville 84-76 in Houston.
“He is passionate about his time here and the success he had,” Pearl noted of Barkley, “So those guys are both, and a lot of those former players, are interested in having this thing recover.”
Even in over just a month, the embryotic hints of recovery are starting to be fashioned. Cinmeon Bowers, the nation’s number one junior college player, committed to the Tigers on April 13. Although Pearl can’t recruit until August 24, his assistants had an eye-raising signing which will help push the Tigers up into the SEC.
“I can’t talk about recruiting, but if this is going to get done, it’s going to be sooner than later,” acknowledged Pearl, “It has to get done based on the efforts and improvement of people who return.”
The difference in the way the Tigers are training with their assistants is another interesting feature to Pearl’s program. His hopes are that some of the returnees will have a much more polished look once they take the court in the fall. He also noted that returning senior guard K.T. Harrell would be a major factor as a scorer and leader.
“K.T. has a chance to be a really good scorer,” Pearl said. “He is working hard and is one of our more talented players and hardest workers. He’s probably our best player we have returning and we will build it around him.”
Pearl has had 6 a.m. workouts, which define lots of the work ethics of players in today’s game. So far, it’s a group that is looking to embrace the opportunity he is giving them as basketball is looking for a rebirth and a return to the successes that were present under Smith and Ellis.
“Jeff (Lebo) and Tony (Barbee) are who I competed against and their teams were always well coached, but the talent level on the roster was always in the second division – it just always was,” described Pearl, “Can you say that about our baseball team, our football team? Can you say that about our women’s soccer team? What we have to do is, obviously, we have to be patient and rebuild.”
Life is certainly more pleasurable on the college basketball planet now. Pearl is a born winner who knows how to relate and communicate. In watching the depth of his analysis on ESPN during the last three seasons, it was evident that even one of the biggest atrocities in the history of the NCAA’s “selective enforcement” process would not deter Pearl, who is enclosing in on 500 wins and has a 75 percent winning percentage.
“I missed the Xs and Os,” he reminisced, “I missed the challenge of going up against guys I went up against and you know what, I bought it for the fight for student athletes over the years as far as a their rights and I missed things like graduation and the comradery with my coaching staff as much as anything.”
Jacobs was the miner. Pearl was the gem. The Auburn Family now hopes for jewels and hardware in the trophy case.
