Back from exile, Bruce Pearl on mission at Auburn

To say Bruce Pearl missed coaching basketball is like saying Dick Vitale missed being away from the microphone to call college hoops on television after throat surgery.

Missed it? More than you’ll ever know.

“I missed teaching and I missed being around the kids,” said Pearl, who is back coaching after a three-year NCAA-imposed exile, this time at Auburn, which is in town this week to participate in the MGM Grand Main Event. “I missed having a chance to make a difference in their lives and challenging them to grow and having a positive impact on them.”

The Tigers (2-1) face Tulsa (2-1) at 8 p.m. today and will play Oklahoma State or Oregon State on Wednesday. So far, Pearl’s team has shown a willingness to compete, and in 6-foot-7-inch junior power forward Cinmeon Bowers, Auburn has a player who can make an impact in the Southeastern Conference.

“He’s been terrific,” Pearl said of Bowers, who through three games has averaged 16.3 points and 14 rebounds. “He’s an extremely productive guy, and he’s really coachable. He’s going to continue to get better and better.”

Pearl had misled NCAA investigators who were probing his program while he was at Tennessee. By the time he fessed up in 2011, the Vols fired him and the NCAA put him on ice for three years. Pearl stayed involved with college basketball as a television studio analyst, something he was pretty good at, but it didn’t come close to replacing his desire for being on the floor at practice or pacing the sidelines on game night.

“I appreciate everything so much more now that I’m back,” said the 54-year-old Boston native who has a lifetime winning percentage of .762 and has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of his 19 years as a head coach.

This is the same guy who painted his body orange when he was at Tennessee to get people to come watch the men play. Upon being hired by Auburn in March, Pearl hit the ground running, selling the program to anyone who would be willing to listen, trying to drum up interest on a campus that puts football and spring football 1-2, in that order, in fan interest.

Suffice to say, he has gotten the attention of the Auburn community. The school sold out its 5,500 season ticket allotment for the first time. Last month, he went to a marketing class and replaced the lecture with a pep rally that included players, cheerleaders and the band.

“It’s the same blueprint as Tennessee,” Pearl said. “Auburn is smokin’ hot right now thanks to our football program. You can have success in basketball, and Auburn has a winning basketball history. Our fans still remember Chuck Person and Charles Barkley. They still remember Chris Porter and Doc Robinson. I’m not trying to do anything that hasn’t been done before. Cliff Ellis did it. Sonny Smith did it. Coach (Joel) Eaves did it. I’m just trying to do it again.”

Auburn is no different than any other program. Without success there’s apathy, and Pearl will not accept being apathetic. Pearl has just eight healthy scholarship players available, but he refuses to make excuses. He wants to come out of this week with a couple of wins.

“Our goal is to make Auburn relevant in the world of college basketball again,” he said. “And being in events like this in Las Vegas will help us get there.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.