Auburn’s Steven Pearl has been promoted to assistant coach after the Tigers’ 18 wins this past season were the most since 2008-09, head coach Bruce Pearl announced.
He was the director of basketball operations the previous two seasons after spending the 2014-15 season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.
“As a father, I have been blessed to have Steven with me as a student-athlete and an assistant for eight years at Tennessee and Auburn,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “As a coach, I have been fortunate to have his intensity, passion, knowledge and love of the game.
“Getting Steven on the court now as an assistant coach will allow him to be able to work with the players and assist them as much as he has been able to assist me. He knows our system. He has seen it succeed at the highest level, and I know he is excited about this next challenge.”
As the director of operations, Steven Pearl was in charge of team travel while also helping plan team practices, working with the team’s academics and co-director of the Auburn basketball camps.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be named an assistant coach at Auburn University,” said Steven Pearl. “Being a part of Auburn Basketball over the last three years, I have seen the improvement and progress first hand. I know that with the combination of the team we have coming back, the first class facilities, the incredible fans and the support of Jay Jacobs, the athletics department and Auburn University, we have the ability to keep improving this program and get it back to a place it hasn’t been in a long time.
“It’s been a dream come true to be able to do something I love and am passionate about with my dad and now that I’m able to get out there to recruit and coach these kids up, the dream just keeps getting better. I am beyond excited for this opportunity to be able to continue to grow and learn from BP and our other assistant coaches to contribute everything I possibly can to the future success of Auburn Basketball.”
He was a four-year letterwinner for his father at Tennessee, playing in 101 games from 2007-11. He helped Tennessee to the 2008 SEC Championship as well as back-to-back SEC East Championships in 2008 and 2009.
Steven Pearl also appeared in the NCAA Tournament each year he was a part of the program with the Volunteers advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2007 and 2008 and the Elite 8 in 2010.
He was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, graduating from Tennessee with a degree in Marketing and International Business in 2010.
While in high school, he led the USA men’s basketball team to a gold medal at the 2006 Maccabiah Games in Sydney, Australia, an accomplishment he would repeat as a gold medal winner in the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040617aaa.html
