What Bruce Pearl Hire Means for Auburn
By Michael Schneid
The Auburn Tigers hired Bruce Pearl as their new head coach today.
Pearl replaces Tony Barbee, who went 49-75 in four seasons, and never won more than 6 SEC games and never played in the postseason. His .390 win percentage is the lowest of any coach with more than two seasons of experience in school history.
Bruce Pearl was most recently at Tennessee and has a lot of postseason experience and success. Pearl went 145-61 in six seasons from 2005-2011 and made the NCAA tournament all six years.
Auburn hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2003 and is primarily known for its football more than basketball. The same can be said for Tennessee, which doesn't have a rich history of basketball.
Pearl can recruit. He can promote. He can win. It will take some time as Auburn lacks the talent to win right now but the SEC is not a huge power conference in basketball, like it is in football. It may not be easy to win the conference, with Florida and Kentucky annually on top, but the rest of the conference is fairly average. Auburn has a chance to be the best of the middle of the pick, which this year included Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU.
Bruce Pearl is a very loud and outspoken coach. He did a great job promoting Tennessee basketball and was all over the community and national media trying to sell the program. He should be able to do the same with Auburn, who has a very passionate fan base. Wins bring in fans and Pearl can do that.
Charles Barkley is Auburn's most famous basketball alum. Who wouldn't love to see Pearl and Barkley run around promoting the school and giving interviews together?
This is a great spot for Pearl to come back into coaching and rehab his image. There won't be any immediate pressure on Pearl, given the school's love for football. With all eyes and money on the national runner ups, Pearl can go under the radar and quietly and slowly start to rebuild the program.
Given his previous experience in the SEC and where Auburn is now, the hiring of Bruce Pearl has a chance to be a huge success.
The Auburn Tigers hired Bruce Pearl as their new head coach today.
Pearl replaces Tony Barbee, who went 49-75 in four seasons, and never won more than 6 SEC games and never played in the postseason. His .390 win percentage is the lowest of any coach with more than two seasons of experience in school history.
Bruce Pearl was most recently at Tennessee and has a lot of postseason experience and success. Pearl went 145-61 in six seasons from 2005-2011 and made the NCAA tournament all six years.
Auburn hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2003 and is primarily known for its football more than basketball. The same can be said for Tennessee, which doesn't have a rich history of basketball.
Pearl can recruit. He can promote. He can win. It will take some time as Auburn lacks the talent to win right now but the SEC is not a huge power conference in basketball, like it is in football. It may not be easy to win the conference, with Florida and Kentucky annually on top, but the rest of the conference is fairly average. Auburn has a chance to be the best of the middle of the pick, which this year included Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU.
Bruce Pearl is a very loud and outspoken coach. He did a great job promoting Tennessee basketball and was all over the community and national media trying to sell the program. He should be able to do the same with Auburn, who has a very passionate fan base. Wins bring in fans and Pearl can do that.
Charles Barkley is Auburn's most famous basketball alum. Who wouldn't love to see Pearl and Barkley run around promoting the school and giving interviews together?
This is a great spot for Pearl to come back into coaching and rehab his image. There won't be any immediate pressure on Pearl, given the school's love for football. With all eyes and money on the national runner ups, Pearl can go under the radar and quietly and slowly start to rebuild the program.
Given his previous experience in the SEC and where Auburn is now, the hiring of Bruce Pearl has a chance to be a huge success.
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