Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl earned some personal recognition Monday after his team finished its Southeastern Conference title-winning regular season.
Pearl was named SEC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and second at Auburn, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches. It comes after Auburn finished the regular season 27-4, matching a program record for regular season wins.
After winning the award, Pearl appeared on the Paul Finebaum show Monday afternoon and reflected on the recognition.
“It’s not something you take for granted,” Pearl said on the show. “I’ve won one Coach of the Year award at Auburn, and we’ve won the league championship four times. So, it’s not an automatic.”
Pearl even revealed that he voted for Florida head coach Todd Golden to win SEC Coach of the Year, someone who worked under Pearl at Auburn from 2014-2016.
Golden’s Florida Gators also finished the regular season 27-4, but came second in the final SEC standings. Florida did, however, beat Auburn at Neville Arena, one of just two teams all season to do so.
“They were probably picked sixth or seventh, and they finished second,” Pearl said. “We were probably picked second or third. We finished first. So, I don’t take it for granted.”
Pearl also gave a shoutout to his staff, naming a number of Auburn’s assistant coaches and support staff members.
“We do a really good job. And our team, our kids, appreciate the fact that we have a great culture, and we work really hard, and God blessed us beyond what we deserve,” Pearl said.
