Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl’s first interview with Auburn was a calamity. He’d been out of coaching for three years, the result of an NCAA investigation that deemed him ultimately responsible for transgressions at Tennessee. He’d taken a job in business, working for a grocery distributor in Knoxville. When Auburn came calling in 2014, Bruce was filled with guilt and self-doubt, and told Auburn that he wasn’t sure he was the best candidate for the job. But when all were convinced, Pearl did what he’s always done – turned the program around with a mixture of marketing, recruiting and excellent coaching. A lifelong outsider, and proud of it, Pearl was only the fifth Jewish coach to lead a team to the Final Four. Now he wants to bring his team to Israel.