Saying he is “normal again,” newly hired Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is back on the job without any restrictions. The NCAA had placed a show cause suspension on Pearl, but those statutes expired on Sunday allowing him to begin recruiting players to round out his roster for the 2015-16 season.
"I've got calls to make now," Pearl said Sunday, just after his suspension was lifted. "But it's just good to be normal again."
Pearl wasted no time in signing two top prospects that will join the Tigers next season. The former Tennessee coach landed Danjel Purifoy, the top recruit from Alabama, and Horace Spencer, who is ranked the #61 prospect in the country. Pearl also grabbed a commitment from T.J. Dunans, one of the best junior college players in the nation. Auburn’s recruiting class is ranked among the top 10 in Division I basketball, according to 247Sports.
Pearl’s 2015 class will join a formidable crew already on board for the 2014 season. Soon after he was hired last spring, Pearl brought on juco standout Cinmeon Bowers, high school prospect T.J. Lang, and three Division I transfers in K.C. Ross-Miller, Antoine Mason, Kareem Canty.
Without a doubt, Pearl is making the most of his new opportunity, and his new lease on coaching life, at Auburn. By raking in one of the top recruiting classes in the country, his Tigers are primed to be a major factor in the college basketball landscape for the immediate future.
Despite his troubles with the NCAA, Pearl has proven his teams can succeed on the basketball court. With stops at Milwaukee and Tennessee, Pearl has won over 230 games and made eight trips to the NCAA Tournament in ten years. He also won a Division II national championship with Southern Indiana in 1995.
Auburn fans, who already have a dominant football program, are equally excited about having a potential national power in basketball as well. After Pearl’s suspension was lifted on Sunday, a large group of Tiger fans gathered to welcome him to Auburn and offer their support.
"I think that speaks to Auburn," Pearl said. "It wasn't just a fan thing. It looked like they knew me, they knew my situation, and they wanted to show their support.”