When you’ve had the kind of success the Auburn Tigers have found this season, it’s no surprise the coach could end up on the shortlist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award. Pearl received an 8-year, $50 million extension this season and continues to show why he was well worth the investment.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has been named one of 15 candidates on the end-of-season watch list for the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year award, as announced Friday. by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
No SEC team has won more games than Auburn in the past five years. Pearl led the Tigers to first overall this season before dropping to second after an overtime loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Despite the second loss, the Tigers are still hot and on their way to the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. While the Tigers can score with anyone, the hallmark of Bruce Pearl’s team is defense. Something he stresses and preaches as the main tenant of a team with championship DNA.
The Auburn coach joins a roster with Mark Adams of Texas Tech, John Calipari of Kentucky, Ed Cooley of Providence, Scott Drew of Baylor, Mark Few of Gonzaga, Steve Forbes of Wake Forest, Greg Gard of Wisconsin, Jeff Linder of Wyoming, Tommy Lloyd of Arizona, Bob McKillop of Davidson, Matt McMahon of Murray State, Kelvin Sampson of Houston, Shaka Smart of Marquette and Brad Underwood of Illinois.
There are some opportunities for Pearl to bolster his resume for the award by the end of the season and winning the conference tournament would certainly add substance to an already impressive resume.
Pearl currently ranks among the top 15 coaches in conference history in SEC wins (11th, 293) and regular season games (14th, 128) during his time at Tennessee and Auburn combined.
He is also the first and only head coach to lead two SEC schools to the program’s first-ever national No. 1 ranking. The Tigers have been ranked top of the program three straight weeks in the AP Poll.