MONTGOMERY, Alabama — For various reasons, Bruce Pearl sees an opportunity for the sport he loves in a country that means so much to him.
Following Auburn’s announcement that he would be taking the team to Israel this summer for a 10-day, three-game trip, Pearl launched the concept of an annual college basketball event in the country.
“My goal would be to create some kind of tournament there,” Pearl said Tuesday before an Auburn alumni event in Montgomery. “To take three or four teams, even if I’m not going. I would love the idea of two to four college basketball teams, going to Israel, playing in some kind of games every August. Even though Auburn was winning ‘not in it, I’m going to work on creating this tournament.”
According to Pearl, he’s had the idea for an invitational tournament for some time now — to publicize Israel as a “wonderful place to play professional basketball” and to broaden the reach of American college hoops. Regardless of the timeline for creating such an event, Pearl, a strong advocate for the Jewish community, made it clear that he would be delighted to spearhead it.
“Our trip there is kind of setting the stage for something like this,” Pearl said. “Which I think is a more meaningful trip than almost any place in the world you can go.”
Another big factor in Pearl’s brainstorming is that there could be an opportunity for off-season content and exhibition games for college basketball fans.
“In August, there’s not a lot of live sports programming after the NBA playoffs are over,” Pearl said. “That’s why the TBT or the different 3 on 3 or – they’re televised because they don’t have a lot of other content.”
The NCAA allows one international trip every four years; Auburn last went to Italy in the summer of 2017. Players on the 2017-18 team — which won an SEC regular-season title, Pearl’s first at Auburn — have spoken often this season about the importance of their pre-season trip to bonding on and off the search.
“It’s part of the timing – when you have four or five new guys coming in,” Pearl said. “The opportunity to live together, to travel together, to see new things together, to learn the Bible together, to learn history together. That’s why we do it, as much as anything. here, the competition is going to be really good.”
The Tigers will face the The Israel U-20 national team twice (2 and 6 August) and the IIsrael’s senior national team on August 8.
Pearl hopes this summer’s games will be televised or broadcast in some way to Auburn’s fanbase at home.
“I’m supporting the team to bond, improve, train this summer, and get closer to God and to history,” Pearl said. “But at the same time, if we could also bring that home, it would be great exposure for our kids.”
*** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and information, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***
*** Get Auburn news straight to your inbox with the Auburn Undercover newsletter ***