The Auburn basketball team will be under new leadership this coming season. However, the change won’t be drastic, as top assistant Steven Pearl will take over for his father, Bruce Pearl. The announcement came on Monday in somewhat shocking fashion.
“Bruce Pearl is expected to retire as the head coach at Auburn, sources tell me and Pete Thamel. His son, Steven, is expected to be the head coach for the upcoming season,” ESPN insider Jeff Borzello posted.
This conclusion to the most successful coaching career in Auburn basketball history comes shortly after Bruce Pearl hinted at retirement in early September. There was a sense that it might be coming soon—but not as soon as leaving before the season even began.
“Not that much longer Jon. I think it's kind of a balance of life, of time, of work. I love Auburn, I truly do. I want to do it when I am on top of my game. We owe that to our players and our fans. As you get a little bit older, you take it one day at a time,” Pearl said to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
While many fans were saddened to see his career come to an end, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon didn’t hold back in sharing his honest thoughts on Pearl’s legacy and character.
“He had become a divisive person, it seems to me, intentionally. And I hope there was pressure to just get him out,” Wilbon said on Pardon The Interruption.
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Wilbon clearly takes issue with how Pearl had been presenting himself publicly. Whatever Pearl had been doing in recent years, Wilbon believes it created unnecessary tension and division.
Now that Pearl is gone, Wilbon appears to hope that Auburn played a role in encouraging his exit. However, if that were truly the case, it raises the question: Why would the university immediately promote his son to replace him? Despite Wilbon’s frustration with Pearl’s public persona, the university’s decision seems to reflect continuity and trust in the Pearl family’s leadership.