AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) -A familiar face is stepping into the spotlight on The Plains. After more than a decade of Bruce Pearl leading Auburn basketball, his son Steven officially took the reins Wednesday as the Tigers’ new head coach.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life,” Steven Pearl said during his introductory press conference. “Being under BP as his son, as a player, and as his coach, I’ve been able to watch him and the things that he does that helps build programs and sustain success.”
Pearl, 38, has been alongside his father for nearly two decades. He played for Bruce at Tennessee before joining him on Auburn’s staff in 2014, serving as associate head coach and top recruiter. Now, the son is ready to lead a program his father helped elevate into a national power.
“BP, we have literally been together since day one,” Steven said. “The five years I played for you, the 11 years I’ve been under your wing, have been some of the best years of my life. We won 367 games together, 18 of those in the NCAA Tournament. We’ve won seven SEC championships, and we’ve been to two Final Fours together. I can put a number on those accomplishments, but I can’t begin to quantify what I’ve learned from you to prepare me for this moment.”
Steven inherits a program that reached its first-ever Final Four in 2019 and has become a regular fixture in March Madness. With expectations high, he said he embraces the challenge.
“I give you my word that I will pour every ounce of my being into every facet of this program to help sustain and build on the success that we have accomplished together,” he said.
While Bruce Pearl’s era at Auburn comes to a close, the Pearl legacy continues. Steven now carries the torch, with the challenge of writing his own chapter in Tigers history.
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