Bruce Pearl: The journey from Rocky Top to The Plain

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman
‏Verified account @GoodmanESPN
23h23 hours ago

The NCAA ruled that Danjel Purifoy will regain his eligibility after the first 30 percent of next basketball season.

[jbcarol]

Auburn University president Steven Leath agreed with athletic director Allen Greene's assessment on Wednesday that the program will "stay the course" in men's basketball.

Leath provided a statement regarding Greene's comments earlier in the day that Bruce Pearl would "absolutely" remain Auburn's men's basketball coach barring any developments in the FBI or NCAA investigation.

"Allen is fully capable of managing the situation," Leath said in a statement. "That's why we hired him. He's absolutely correct in how he is handling it and what he said. Allen understands that the state of college basketball as a whole isn't in a great place, but I'm confident that he and coach Pearl will work together through all the necessary and appropriate processes and, as he said, stay the course and operate with integrity.

"I'm already looking forward to another exciting season of Auburn basketball.

"We want to do it the right way and it's unfortunate that the state of college basketball is where it is," Greene said. "We didn't get that way overnight. We certainly won't fix things overnight. But knowing the process of the FBI and NCAA investigation is - who knows how long it's going to be? But it's going to be lengthy. So, I think it's in our best interest to stay the course."

Prior to Auburn's appearance in the NCAA Tournament earlier this month, its first in 15 years, Leath released a statement saying Pearl is "working with university officials as part of our due diligence."

Leath's statements this month are in stark contrast to those he made during the fall, when he expressed frustration with Pearl's lack of cooperation with the school's internal review of the program, and in January, when he said Pearl would have to meet with him "sooner or later."

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

Bruce Pearl named 2018 Red Auerbach National Coach of the Year

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was named the 2018 Red Auerbach National Coach of the Year on Saturday by the Jewish Coaches Association.

Pearl was award the annual honor on Saturday in San Antonio during the JCA's annual meeting, which was held in the same city as this year's Final Four. Pearl also won the award in 2010.

Did not get passed over due to FBI investigation.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports
59m59 minutes ago

What are the best-case (and worse-case) scenarios for Auburn basketball's 2018-19 roster? | http://AL.com  https://trib.al/ElYQTv2

Starting with the departures of Desean Murray and Davion Mitchell and working under the assumption that all four players to declare for the draft pursue a professional career and don't return to Auburn, the Tigers will have just six scholarship players returning with no point guard.

The roster under such a premise would be Anfernee McLemore, Horace Spencer, Chuma Okeke, Danjel Purifoy, Malik Dunbar and Samir Doughty.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

Discussions are ongoing between Bruce Pearl and new Auburn athletic director Allen Greene on a contract extension for the fifth-year coach.

Here's where things stand: https://trib.al/WhRK2yF

Pearl is entering the fifth year of his original six-year contract, which has $5.25 million in base salary remaining. According to USA Today, Pearl's salary ranked seventh among 13 public school coaches in the SEC last season, not including the $250,000 in bonuses he earned in leading Auburn to a share of its first SEC regular-season championship since 1999 and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

At the time he was fired, then-associate head coach Chuck Person was earning approximately $280,000, according to payroll records.

Assistants Harris Adler and Steven Pearl are earning approximately $184,000 and $160,000, respectively, per Auburn payroll records. Chad Prewett, who served as an interim assistant coach last season but is expected to return to director of operations now that Wes Flanigan has joined the staff, is earning $120,000.

[jbcarol]

https://www.seccountry.com/auburn/bruce-pearl-extension-negotiations

[jbcarol]

https://articles.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/05/auburn_ad_allen_greene_i_dont.amp

Have a great enough understanding to make changes...

[jbcarol]

https://articles.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2018/05/bruce_pearl_a_chance_austin_wi.amp

[jbcarol]

https://articles.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2018/05/bruce_pearl_confident_auburn_a.amp

[jbcarol]

Auburn basketball assistant coach Harris Adler to leave profession

Auburn basketball's top assistant coach is leaving the profession.

Harris Adler, who spent the past four years at Auburn under Bruce Pearl, announced his decision to leave the coaching profession and return to his native Philadelphia with his family.

A licensed pharmacist, Adler holds a master's degree in higher education administration ...

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports
2h2 hours ago

Contracts for Chad Prewett and Steven Pearl, Bruce Pearl's son, expired Friday without any official announcement as to whether they'll be renewed https://trib.al/aMy6Q59

[jbcarol]

Bruce Pearl is staying in Auburn.

After leading Auburn to its third SEC regular-season title, and first since 1999, and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003, Pearl's contract has been extended through 2022-23.

"It was a historic season for Auburn basketball and one that was matched by excellence in the classroom as well," Auburn athletic director Allen Greene said in a statement. "We take great pride in providing our student-athletes with an abundance of resources to help with their overall development. Coach Pearl shares my commitment to ensuring the holistic development of our student-athletes and adhering to the mission of Auburn University as an institution of higher learning."

Pearl was set to enter the fifth year of his original six-year contract, which had $5.25 million in base salary remaining. The extension now gives him five years remaining on his deal, which calls for Pearl to earn $2.6 million in 2018-19 with $100,000 increases per year for a total of $14 million through 2022-23.

"Our coaches and student-athletes believe in Auburn and we love it," Pearl said in a statement. "We came here to work hard, make a positive difference on the campus and in the community and bring credibility and championships back to Auburn basketball. I'm grateful to president Dr. Steven Leath and director of athletics Allen Greene for their commitment and support. My family is blessed to be a part of the Auburn Family."

[jbcarol]

http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/juco-point-guard-j-von-mccormick-commits-to-auburn/article_69191788-6e8f-11e8-971f-cf3ab41a9dc5.amp.html

[jbcarol]

https://articles.al.com/auburnbasketball/index.ssf/2018/06/bruce_pearl_auburn_basketball.amp

Pearl claims Auburn has "unfinished business" in 2018-19.

No word on whether some of those transactions will be completed after the FBI probe.

[jbcarol]

Bruce Pearl hires Ira Bowman to complete Auburn's coaching staff

Bowman helped lead Penn, his alma mater, to a 24-9 record, an Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament appearance, its first in 11 years, last season. He was responsible for much of Penn's recruiting and helped develop seven all-conference players with the Quakers.

"When you're hiring a staff, it's all about surrounding yourself with people better than you," Pearl said in a statement. "Who can help these kids realize their full potential on and off the court? Who do I want to walk into a living room with and say to a parent that these are the men I want to surround your son with?

"Ira Bowman is a former Ivy League Player of the Year, a self-made NBA player, a great father and a true role model. Even though he is from the east, I think he fits the profile of an Auburn man to a T."

A constrast to Chuck Person

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account@aldotcomSports

Pearl said Auburn will "probably have one more addition to the roster" before the season https://trib.al/sjEFeYC

Pearl said Auburn will "probably have one more addition to the roster" before the season. While Pearl could not elaborate publicly, that addition would be if four-star 2019 forward Babatunde Akingbola reclassifies and enrolls in the fall.

"I would think that there's a good chance we go into the season with 12 guys on scholarship," Pearl said. "Right now, we're at 11. Then if we didn't have the 13th we would either keep it open through the semester or like we did a year ago with Pat Keim, be able to give it to a walk-on at mid-semester."

Both Pearl and Auburn athletic director Allen Greene said the program is not holding a scholarship open as a contingency, in case the NCAA chooses to penalize the Tigers with a loss of scholarships.

[jbcarol]

What 4-star small forward Isaac Okoro's commitment means for Auburn basketball

Auburn basketball received a midnight surprise Tuesday night, when four-star small forward Isaac Okoro announced his commitment to the program via Twitter.

Okoro's commitment is impactful for Auburn, which now has the No. 8 recruiting class in the nation thanks to the two Georgia stars. That would give the Tigers their highest-ranked recruiting class under head coach Bruce Pearl, surpassing the 12th-ranked 2016 class that included five-star prospects Mustapha Heron and Austin Wiley, as well as Jared Harper and Anfernee McLemore.

It's particularly meaningful for an Auburn team that did not have any players sign to the 2018 class in the aftermath of the FBI investigation into former associate head coach Chuck Person -- which cost the program the commitment of five-star forward E.J. Montgomery.

Okoro will be welcome for Auburn after this upcoming season, when the Tigers will lose seniors Horace Spencer, Malik Dunbar and Bryce Brown, and could see a potential exodus of underclassmen for the NBA Draft, including Wiley and possibly sophomore forward Chuma Okeke, among others. Okoro would join a presumed rotation of wings that includes Danjel Purifoy, Samir Doughty and Jamal Johnson, the first of whom must sit out 30 percent of Auburn's games this season and the latter of whom will be eligible in 2019 after sitting out the year due to NCAA transfer rules.

[jbcarol]

Josh Vitale
‏Verified account@AUBlog

Bruce Pearl is a part owner of a new high-class, dog grooming and boarding business in Auburn (via @troyturnernews)

Bruce Pearl is a part owner of a new high-class, dog grooming and boarding business in Auburn; and to play off an old cliché, his wife Brandy has no qualms about sending Bruce to the doghouse.

Grove Bark Inn is about to be a storied, luxury dog resort nestled in the friendliest village on the plain in Auburn, Alabama.

Steve and April Harper are the majority owners of Grove Bark Inn, which is an offshoot of their successful business Zoom To Groom, a mobile dog-grooming company.

Each of the individual housing units are a nice size, clean, with a thickly padded dog bed, equipped with its own television and an overhead webcam so that the occupant's owners can check their phone and instantly observe how their beloved dog is doing.

Oh, and not only does each dog staying in a first-class villa have its own TV, but every night it's tuned to, of course, the Animal Channel.

[jbcarol]

https://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/auburn-men-s-basketball-opens-preseason-practice-with-unfinished-business/article_24e38aae-c136-11e8-92b0-cffd60a0d770.amp.html

[jbcarol]

https://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/auburn-men-s-basketball-ranked-th-in-preseason-ap-top/article_9c516452-d60e-11e8-bacc-7f2b869b00c0.amp.html

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburn/2018/10/walk-on-myles-parker-to-play-for-auburn-basketball-amid-spate-of-injuries.html

6-6 SG/SF

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2018/11/danjel-purifoy-eligible-to-play-in-auburn-basketballs-exhibition-against-lincoln-memorial.html

Sits out first nine non-conference games.

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2018/11/auburn-basketball-is-finally-scheduling-hard-this-year-because-it-can.html

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account@aldotcomSports

"There'll be heavy days in the office this weekend studying our Maui opponents." – @CoachBrucePearl https://trib.al/DpRVoR5

Pearl has only once prior scheduled a non-Division I opponent during his time as Auburn's basketball coach. He hosted and played North Alabama — now a D-I program on Jan. 3, 2015.

It makes sense that the next time Auburn will do that is on Wednesday when Mississippi College comes to the Plains. And Pearl outwardly admitted that the Choctaws won't be anything close to the primary focus in the coming days.

"We'll take tomorrow off, and we will definitely spend a couple of days preparing for our Maui opponents," Pearl said. "And then we'll get ready for Mississippi on Tuesday and play and then we travel to Maui on Thursday. There'll be heavy days in the office this weekend studying our Maui opponents."

This is a smart strategy, and the point to say all of this is that it was probably a premeditated one. Auburn effectively gave itself 10 days off in between No. 25 Washington and its next competitive game. It gives the Tigers time to relax, prepare, study the opponents, and get a tuneup in against a team it will likely crush without much thought.

The Tigers will start off the Maui Invitational at 9:30 a.m. Maui time against Xavier on Nov. 19. Then they'll play either San Diego State or Duke the day after. Nov. 21 will feature a game against either Arizona, Iowa State, Gonzaga or Illinois. There are only tough games in that bracket, an it will be tremendous early barometer for how good this No. 11 Auburn team actually is this year.

The first test for the Tigers was a resounding success. They crushed South Alabama by 43 points, then put a similar 22-point hurting on UW — the first ranked team to come to Auburn in the nonconference in 12 years.

"If you can beat Washington by 20, you can go to Maui and compete," Pearl said.

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2018/11/live-updates-no-8-auburn-clashes-with-no-1-duke-in-maui-invitational.html

FT differential in Lahaina

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2018/11/dukes-coach-k-auburn-can-beat-anybody.html

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/01/auburn-falls-out-of-ap-poll-amid-3-game-losing-streak.html

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account@aldotcomSports
2h2 hours ago

Auburn is in a very interesting spot as we sit here on Feb. 11. They're closely paying attention to Washington, the only win they have that even closely resembles a Quad 1 win.

What does this mean for @AuburnMBB in the postseason?https://trib.al/ElAxbr7

The date is Feb. 11 — less than one month before the end of the regular season in college basketball — and there is one undeniable fact about Auburn's NCAA Tournament resume: They have zero Quadrant 1 wins.

That could change any day, of course. In order to get a Quadrant 1 win at home, you need to beat a team in the Top 30 of NET. Washington entered Monday at No. 31. So they could be No. 30 in a couple hours, for all we know.

"That can move depending on how teams go throughout the season," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Back when we won it, we thought it would be. Then back at the end of December it wasn't anywhere close to being a Quadrant 1 win. Now it is. These things are all moving targets depending on how people finish up."

Auburn is in a very interesting spot as we sit here on Feb. 11. They're closely paying attention to Washington, the only win they have that even closely resembles a Quad 1 win. For an AU team that at one point was ranked No. 7 in the country, that's not great.

Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M could theoretically turn into Quadrant 1 wins if they get hot, but that's wishful thinking.

For now, Auburn is 0-6 against Q1, 6-1 against Q2, 5-0 against Q3, and 4-0 against Q4. Auburn has zero signature wins, and no really bad losses. Their win against Xavier, at the time thought to be good, has been rendered mostly worthless because of how bad Xavier has been this year. Arizona, too, has really fallen off.

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/02/statistically-speaking-auburn-basketball-clamping-down-defensively.html

Auburn is limiting teams to 68.5 ppg in SEC play

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/02/bruce-pearl-hopes-austin-wiley-gets-swagger-back-against-arkansas-daniel-gafford.html

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports
‏Verified account@aldotcomSports
1h1 hour ago

.@CoachBrucePearl admittedly isn't a fan of switching up his starting five. He likes to keep tings consistent, noting that those roles have been earned over an extended period of time.

Last night was a bit different: https://trib.al/k20Uw0k

[jbcarol]

What Bruce Pearl had to say after Kentucky beat his Auburn Tigers by 27 points

"However, I am surprised that we were not competitive today. I thought we legitimately had the chance to come in here and play with them. We were physically overwhelmed. We have given LSU 29 second-chance points and lost in a last-possession game. You guys know how good LSU is as a program. Two weeks ago on the road at LSU, we got manhandled. Here today, we got manhandled in a different way. It wasn't just second-chance points, it was their defense. Kentucky is one of the best defensive teams in the country. That speaks about their character, competitive spirit, and being winners. They're not just great individual defenders. Tyler Herro, maybe coming in, players thought that they can just take him off the bounce and drive it downhill. Heck, Keldon, at his size, trying to play guard is impressive. They've improved in that area. They compete, and they stay in front of you. As a result, they took a pretty good offensive team in Auburn and made us look really bad."

On Auburn guards not shooting a high percentage ...

"There hasn't been a game where Jared Harper has never had any assists. We obviously got Bryce (Brown) a ton of looks, particularly in the second half. At Auburn, he was very hot, but they did a good job by switching and keeping a couple bodies on him. He didn't get nearly as many open looks. So, they did a really good job defensively on him."

[jbcarol]

Justin Lee@ByJustinLee
3h3 hours ago

Bruce Pearl puts it succinctly: "The good news is we haven't played our best basketball yet. The bad news is we're running out of time."

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/03/why-bryce-brown-has-always-been-better-in-sec-play-than-nonconference.html

Pearl: patience

Brown is Auburn's all-time leading 3-point shooter.

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/03/why-bruce-pearl-keeps-his-players-informed-about-ncaa-tournament-standing.html

He uses the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) to motivate the team.

[jbcarol]

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2019/03/danjel-purifoy-announces-hell-return-to-auburn-following-seasons-biggest-win.html

Good news for Bruce Pearl who has been riding a "high horse" lately

[jbcarol]

Auburn is a Top 25 team; Bruce Pearl says it's a Top 25 program

After AU defeated No. 5 Tennessee with the regular season finale, head coach Bruce Pearl said that maybe Auburn wasn't just a Top 25 team, but a Top 25 program.

The distinction is clear. A Top 25 team has the temporary, momentary ranking. A Top 25 program is one that's established, recognized, has the weight of expectations.

As AU finished off its seventh-straight win on Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals, Pearl updated his thoughts on whether Auburn was maybe a Top 25 program.

"The fact that we were a Top 25 team a year ago and now we're a Top 25 team again, means I think we're a Top 25 program," Pearl said. "It doesn't get talked about a lot, but you've got to do it. You've got to put yourselves in those positions."

[cram224]

We could have got Bruce Pearl, but we had to stay with Nolan Jr. Pearl plays exciting basketball that would have played well in BWA. And he also plays better defense. He's guilty of having a BBQ for recruits. The guy is a winner.

[BannerMountainMan]

His assistant is currently in jail for him, and he probably doesn't give a darn.

[GoHogs1091]

Tennessee got worn down by Mississippi State and Kentucky.

Don't expect Pearl and Auburn to make it very far in the NCAAT.  They will play a team who will guard the 3 point line.  Auburn basically just jacks up 3 pointers.

[cram224]

Well your coach is setting at the house today with nothing to do. I bet he doesn't give a darn either.

[raz1965]

Haha, with pearl Arkansas would have been on probation by now.

[PonderinHog]

Tennessee got worn down by Mississippi State and Kentucky.

Don't expect Pearl and Auburn to make it very far in the NCAAT.  They will play a team who will guard the 3 point line.  Auburn basically just jacks up 3 pointers.

Can you believe that damn Bruce Pearl?  He didn't offer one word of thanks to MSU for wearing Tennessee down.  That ingrate!   

[GoHogs1091]

Can you believe that damn Bruce Pearl?  He didn't offer one word of thanks to MSU for wearing Tennessee down.  That ingrate!   

It was two tough games for Tennessee.

Tennessee didn't have anything today.  It showed against Auburn.

[lc480]

 Arkansas will never have to worry about big time program coming for Mike!

[PonderinHog]

It was two tough games for Tennessee.

Tennessee didn't have anything today.  It showed against Auburn.

Auburn played four games and won four games.  Tennessee didn't and MSU wasn't anywhere in the picture.

[LZH]

Well your coach is setting at the house today with nothing to do. I bet he doesn't give a darn either.

Now THAT is funny....!

[GoHogs1091]

Auburn played four games and won four games.  Tennessee didn't and MSU wasn't anywhere in the picture.

Tennessee won against MSU by only 7 points.

Tennessee won against Kentucky by only 4 points.

It was two tough games for Tennessee.

[PonderinHog]

And Auburn tiptoed through the Tulips to the Title.

[HiggiePiggy]

Tennessee won against MSU by only 7 points.

Tennessee won against Kentucky by only 4 points.

It was two tough games for Tennessee.

I like how you ignore a team having to win 4 in a row and then saying that Tennessee didn't have anymore gas.  I guess what you are saying then is Bruce did a better job of keeping his players fresh and ready to play for 4 Games?