In six seasons as the men’s basketball coach at Auburn, Bruce Pearl has led the Tigers to two SEC championships, back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and the program’s first ever trip to the Final Four. It’s success he’s replicated at every stop of his 25-year coaching career. A proven winner, Bruce still coaches with a chip on his shoulder and his teams reflect that fighter mentality. On this episode, we talk about his unlikely journey from student manager to big-time college coach, what drives him, and how he consistently gets his teams to outperform expectations.
Follow Bruce: Twitter
Show Notes
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- Bruce’s unlikely journey from student manager to big-time college basketball coach (1:45)
- The story of how Bruce stepped in as the Boston College Eagles mascot (3:20)
- How he got into coaching (4:05)
- Embracing a non-linear career path (5:16)
- Surround yourself by great people and empower them. (6:21)
- Generals need soldiers. Not everyone has to be a great leader. (6:47)
- What Bruce thinks of his reputation as a salesman (8:40)
- The “chip on his shoulder” mentality that drives him (9:48)
- How he helps his team members outperform expectations (10:46)
- How Auburn has built a successful program with overlooked 3 and 4-star recruits (11:59)
- Treat your team members fairly; don’t treat them the same (13:04)
- Why he embraces the underdog role (15:46)
- What he learned in his time away from basketball (16:37)
- The one thing he wished he knew earlier in his coaching career (18:43)
- How he’s evolved as a leader over the years (20:00)
- His favorite Pat Summitt stories (21:30)
- “It’s not whether you can. It’s whether you will.” – Bill Belichick (27:27)
Resources / People Mentioned
- Auburn Tigers men’s basketball
- Bruce Pearl Family Foundation
- Southern Indiana men’s basketball
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball
- Tennessee Vols men’s basketball
- Boston College men’s basketball
- Tom Davis, former Stanford basketball coach
- Chuma Okeke, NBA player
- Isaac Okoro, Auburn basketball
- H.T. Hackney Company
- Pat Summitt, basketball coach
- Tyler Summitt
- Vivian Stringer, basketball coach
- Success Is A Choice by Rick Pitino
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Bill Belichick, Patriots coach
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Gus Malzahn on Embracing the Little Details for Big Wins
- Geno Auriemma on Winning (And Winning Some More)
- Leonard Hamilton on How To Rebuild A Team for Long-Term Success
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