Pearl wears Coach K Underoos.
Do not talk smack about Coach Pearl. He is my boy. Please stay on topic.
I'll smack you.
ATLANTA, Ga. | New Auburn head men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl wanted to step up the Tigers' non-conference schedule next season.Pearl told reporters at the Tiger Trek stop in Atlanta on Tuesday night that Auburn will play a road game at Colorado and a road game against a top-25 opponent that will be televised on ESPN's Top-Off Marathon on November 14, the opening night of college basketball."It might interest you to know that we'll be playing at Colorado," Pearl said on Tuesday. "They're going to be pretty good."Colorado is projected to start the season in the top-25.Kentucky and Florida are also slated to play on ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon next fall. The exposure Auburn basketball will gain will be significant."It's our anticipation that we will play on the SEC Network, on the first night of college basketball, on the 14th. It's our anticipation that we will play in ESPN's 24 hours of college basketball, and of course, that'll be on the road against a top-25 opponent," said Pearl.Pearl anticipates six to eight non-conference opponents to be on Auburn's schedule next season. He hopes half of those are at home. Bringing big games to Auburn Arena is a priority, but the task isn't an easy one at the moment."I'd like to bring at least one top-25 team to play us at home," Pearl said. "It's hard to get people to start the series at home. They're all willing to go on the road first, but there's a chance we can get a game."As Auburn's basketball brand strengthens, scheduling will become easier. Pearl stresses that having students out of school from mid-December until into January doesn't aid their efforts in landing top-flight competition with the prospects of a less-than-full Arena a strong reality.But Pearl is remaining optimistic."They're not afraid to play us," Pearl said. "They're interested in playing Auburn, in the SEC, because they think they've got a chance to beat us right now."Last season, Auburn played three notable non-conference games against Illinois, Iowa State and Clemson. Illinois was a neutral site game, Iowa State on the road and Clemson at home.
DESTIN, Florida - It's not unusual for a new coach who's on the scene because the old coach failed to do everything he can to bring a splintered program back together.One of the standard moves in that regard is the athletic equivalent of a family reunion: A letterman's weekend.Bruce Pearl and Auburn basketball are putting one of those together for the weekend of June 27, but they're taking it an extra step. Pearl isn't just inviting all former players to come back to campus.He's inviting former coaches, too. Head coaches and assistants. One example: Cliff Ellis, who was let go by Auburn after the 2004 season but still has fond memories of his time on the Plains, is trying to work it into his schedule in his current job as the Coastal Carolina coach."We've got to heal," Pearl said Tuesday at the SEC spring meeting. "We've been through too many coaches and too many staffs, and so the way to do that is you invite the managers back, you invite the assistant coaches back, the guys that care about Auburn basketball. It is the Auburn family, but the family's been broken up so much that it's not healthy."We'll invite 'em back and some will come, and we'll keep inviting them back and then I've got to do something. I've got to do something that they can be proud of."That small twist is just another sign that Pearl gets it when it comes to rebuilding a program. He offered one more example as he compared and contrasted his arrivals at Auburn this year and at Tennessee in 2005.In Knoxville, he said, one of his initial goals was to earn the respect of UT football coach Phillip Fulmer and women's basketball coach Pat Summitt."That was big for me coming from Wisconsin-Milwaukee," Pearl said. "These two are at the absolute top of the profession, and I'm nobody from nowhere."Some things haven't changed in his eyes."For me, it's the same thing with Gus (Malzahn)," Pearl said. "Right now, he's at the top of the game in football."Wait. Malzahn has been a major college head coach for one year. It was a pretty spectacular debut, with a conference title and a near-miss in the national championship game, but Pearl has more SEC experience."I still feel that way," Pearl said. "One of the things I explained to Gus in meeting him was Gus doesn't know me. Is it safe for me to say that Gus is nobody from nowhere also, that he worked his way up through the high school ranks?"We're going to go ahead and ride 17 NCAA Tournaments in 19 years (as a head coach), whatever the math says. We're going to go ahead and ride that, but I wanted him to know that I'm nobody from nowhere. Go to work every day with a chip on my shoulder and prove I still belong. I still feel like I've got something to prove."Pearl and Malzahn have very different personalities. Pearl's the outgoing Pied Piper of hoops, and Malzahn's the more introverted professor emeritus of the hurry-up no-huddle, but both have managed to overcome their humble beginnings to win big in the SEC.As Malzahn did after the former coordinator returned to the Plains as head coach, Pearl has captivated and energized the Auburn fan base before winning a single game."I think we'll complement one another," Pearl said. "We both want to be there."If Malzahn's debut and Pearl's past are an omen of things to come, it may be some time before another coach has to arrange a family reunion to bring the Auburn family back together.Right now, in both sports, that family's as together as it's been in a long, long time.
DESTIN, Florida -- Bruce Pearl has an idea on how he can elevate Auburn in the national spotlight, even if he has to poke fun at himself in the process.The Auburn coach believes the SEC Network could help the Tigers as they attempt to rebuild a program that has not reached the NCAA Tournament in 10 years. Pearl, who is serving a show-cause penalty for lying to the NCAA, has an idea for a segment, too: a cookout at his home."Bring the SEC Network to my home and let see a barbecue, let them see what a barbecue looks like," Pearl said. "Let them see me cooking."Pearl's idea elicited chuckles from reporters. The former Tennessee coach got in hot water when he invited recruit Aaron Craft to a barbecue at his home in 2010. Pearl lied about it to the NCAA, leading him down a path to a three-year show-cause penalty and the end of his tenure at Tennessee.Pearl, however, was serious about the proposal."Got to make sure the guest list is what it needs to be," Pearl joked. "But don't you think the fans want to see that and understand so much of what we do is beyond just the basketball, it's about the books. Go in there and watch a coach do class checks or be in a study hall situation where there's some academic integrity. Those are the kind of things, those stories can be told."Pearl will be allowed to evaluate players and recruit when his three-year NCAA penalty ends Aug. 24.
Do the link. Watch the video.http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/05/bruce_pearl_wants_sec_network.html
Bruce Pearl's got mail -- voice mail, that is. The Auburn coach revealed Friday at the school's annual Basketball Letterman Reunion that Charles Barkley left him a voice mail seven years ago that Pearl has saved ever since. "Don't get me emotional about this, but the truth of the matter is he called our basketball office one day," said Pearl, who was head coach at Tennessee at the time. "He says, 'Coach Pearl, this is Charles Barkley, you do not need to call me back. I've just been watching your teams play and I love the way you coach and I love the way your teams play.' "Barkley, who starred at Auburn and also attended Friday's event, confirmed the call. "I left him a message X amount of years ago that said, 'Hey, man I don't know you, but I like the way you coach, I like your teams and continued success,' " Barkley said."I just liked the way his team competed."The encouragement meant so much to Pearl that he saved the message."I have it on an old cellphone," Pearl said. "Believe me, there are times when we get down on ourselves and lose confidence in what we do and I've listened to that message a time or two. I had never met him, I didn't call him back because he said don't call me back, but I kept that message. I absolutely still have it today."Barkley said he calls coaches from time to time to compliment their success and considers it a funny coincidence that Pearl ended up at his alma mater. Pearl was hired by Auburn in March."Teams always take up the personality of coaches and you can tell he's a very competitive guy," Barkley said. "I'm excited."
So he's in the top three and the two guys above him are Calipari and Pitino, both of whom have been involved in the last four final fours.
Auburn's trip to Colorado scheduled for late-night tip time on ESPN2Bruce Pearl's staff at Auburn has been hitting the recruiting trail with force as of late.on August 04, 2014 at 1:44 PMAUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn will not wear pajamas, even if a midnight tip-off against Colorado is on the docket this upcoming season.Auburn announced Monday its trip to Colorado on Nov. 18 will tip at midnight CT. The game will be televised on ESPN2 as part of ESPN's 24-hour marathon of college basketball, which is slated to begin Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. CT.ESPN asked coach Bruce Pearl, one of the network's former employees, about playing the game and being part of the all-day event.Auburn is expected to open the season against four straight NCAA Tournament participants from last spring.But why the decision to play in the early morning hours of Nov. 18? Pearl said he wants to push Auburn on the national scene whenever possible."There could be times when we're playing in the SEC Tournament when we'll have a really late game, or we could be playing in the NCAA Tournament and the game could be a little later. I think it gets you prepared," Pearl said, according to Auburn.Auburn opens the season against Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Auburn Arena on Nov. 14. The Tigers' full schedule is expected to be released within the next two weeks.Below is a list of non-conference games AL.com has been able to confirm:2014-15 non-conference scheduleNov. 14: Wisconsin-MilwaukeeNov. 18: at Colorado, MidnightNov. 21: Louisiana LafayetteNov. 24/26: Two games vs. Oklahoma State, Oregon State or TulsaTBA: Texas SouthernDec. 3: at Texas TechDec. 5: Coastal CarolinaDec. 14: at ClemsonDec. 20: XavierDec. 29: Middle TennesseeJan. 3: vs. TBA (possible D-II)
I like it. I am actually excited about Auburn basketball this year. Haven't been able to say that with a straight face in at least 10 years now.
Definitely looking forward to this BB season thanks to Pearl.
Has Jumbo seen your dog yet?
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