Bruce Pear Named SEC Coach of the Year on Monday

AUBURN, Ala.- Bruce Pearl, the Auburn Tigers' head coach, added another award to his resume when he was named SEC coach of the year for 2024-2025 Monday.

Get our free mobile app

Bruce Pearl has earned his second SEC Coach of the Year award in his 11th season as head coach of the Tigers, having previously won his first in 2022. This year, the college basketball world witnessed a historic season for Auburn, as Pearl's team finished the regular season with a remarkable 27-4 record and a 15-3 record in conference play. This performance secured the Tigers the exclusive rights to be the regular season SEC Champions. Overall, this marks Pearl's fifth SEC Championship during his tenure at Auburn, which includes Three regular season titles (2018, 2022, 2025) and two tournament championships (2019, 2024)

Auburn experienced a regular season unlike any other in their program's history, finishing 16-4 in quad one games this season, defeating multiple elite teams like #2 Houston, #5 Alabama, #8 Tennessee, and #12 Iowa State. Pearl also had his team rated #1 in the AP poll for 8 weeks, a school record for the Tigers, who had previously held the top spot for three weeks in the 2022 season.

Pearl's team won multiple conference awards on Monday, including SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC, with the 6'10 forward Johni Broome averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and shooting 50% from the floor.

Pearl, known for his relentless defense, had a standout player on his roster this season—Senior Guard Denver Jones. Jones was recognized as a lockdown defender and earned a spot on the All-SEC Defensive Team. Throughout the season, he consistently guarded the opposing team's top players, often succeeding in shutting them down.

In the two matchups between Auburn and Alabama this year, Jones faced Mark Sears and had a significant impact. During their first game at Coleman Coliseum, he held Sears to just 23.5% shooting from the field. In their second matchup, a loss for Auburn, Jones limited Sears to 33.3% shooting.

2025's SEC Coach of the Year demonstrated his ability to develop players when Freshman Guard Tahaad Pettiford was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. This season, the left-handed guard averaged 11.6 points per game, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 43.2% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc off the bench for the Tigers.

Auburn's longtime head coach earned his success through hard work. When Bruce Pearl joined the program in 2014, it had not seen an NCAA Tournament bid since the 2002-2003 season, under head coach Cliff Ellis. Additionally, before Pearl's arrival, Auburn hadn't had a winning season since 2008-2009, when they recorded a 24-12 record with Jeff Lebo as head coach.

Pearl rolled up his sleeves and dedicated himself to rebuilding the program. After three years of laying a solid foundation, the Tigers finally earned an NCAA Tournament bid. The following season, Pearl led the team to its first SEC Tournament championship and made history with Auburn's first-ever Final Four appearance. Unfortunately, the Tigers fell just short against Virginia, losing 62-63 in a game marked by a controversial no-call on a double dribble.

The Boston native has set a standard at Auburn, where the Tigers will compete in their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament later this month. Pearl now has four SEC Coach of the Year awards in his 30-year career, including one in 2006 and 2008 while coaching Tennessee.

Accolades are nice, but Pearl is focused on getting a chance at his first National Championship as the tournament approaches. With father time creeping up on the celebrated head coach, this is shaping up to be one of the best teams Pearl has had during his tenure at Auburn—and possibly even during his time at Tennessee.

Pearl and the Auburn Tigers will prepare for the SEC Tournament, where they will be seeded first and have a double bye, which means they will not play until March 14th in the quarterfinals.

For the latest Alabama sports news and updates, follow Tide100.9 on X and Facebook.