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AU ATHLETICS
AUBURN —
Auburn assistant men’s basketball coach Steven Pearl was named one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches in NCAA Division I basketball by Silver Waves Media on Monday.
The global media company annually highlights the top assistants in the nation at both the high-and mid-major levels.
Pearl completed his eighth overall season on the Plains and fifth as an assistant coach for the Tigers, who earned a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history and won the SEC regular-season title in 2021-22. Auburn has now reached the Big Dance three times in the last four seasons including a NCAA Final Four berth in 2019.
He has been a major contributor to the program’s monumental rebuild under his father, head coach Bruce Pearl. On the bench, the younger Pearl is responsible for scouting, defensive strategies and in-game adjustments.
Off the court, he has aided in player development and recruiting as the Tigers have produced numerous NBA Draft prospects over the years in Jabari Smith, Walker Kessler, Sharife Cooper (48th overall draft pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 2021), Isaac Okoro (5th overall draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020), JT Thor (37th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons) in 2021) and Chuma Okeke (16th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2019).
He served as acting head coach against North Alabama resulting in his first career coaching victory, 70-44, on Dec. 14, 2021 at Neville Arena.
In April, he also participated in the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Athletic Director U’s invitation-only Collegiate Coaching Consortium at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans. The consortium brought together rising basketball coaches and Division I athletic directors for a rigorous, multi-day academy, helping those rising coaches prepare for their first head coaching opportunity.