Bruce Pearl explains competitive edge: 'I've got a chip on my shoulder'

The Auburn basketball program has risen to new heights under coach Bruce Pearl, who has done a masterful job of creating plenty of energy and excitement around his teams.

Look no further than ESPN’s College GameDay being in town for today’s game against No. 22 Kentucky for evidence.

How has he done it? GameDay put that question to Pearl on Saturday morning in front of a rowdy student section, one he helped reinvigorate and revitalize.

“When you’re not very talented you’ve got to make up for it in other areas,” Bruce Pearl said. “I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I’m nobody from nowhere. And I’m so blessed to live in a country where I’m a Jewish basketball coach in Auburn, Ala. Can we keep that real? Can we keep that real?!?”

The crowd roared as he said it, but the point was a salient one.

Pearl is, by most definitions, a bit of an underdog when it comes to reaching such a role and having the ability to impact a high-level basketball team.

That’s something he doesn’t take lightly.

“I go to work every single day rewarding the people at Auburn for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime,” Bruce Pearl said. “And I’m grateful for it, so all I can do is give it everything I’ve got.”

There’s one aspect to that that Pearl harped on as he closed out his answer on College GameDay. In short, it’s an entire mentality that he has adopted, one that he hopes his fellow coaches also take to heart.

If they do, you’ve got the beginning building blocks for an elite program.

“I tell coaches don’t rent,” Bruce Pearl said. “I know we’re leased, but buy. Buy in. Treat that job like it’s the last job you know you’ll ever have. And our kids know it. And you know what? As a result they forgive me when I make mistakes, because they know I’m doing the best I can.”

Auburn has done quite well this season. Earlier in the year the team put together an 11-game winning streak. Currently the team has won four of the last five, with the lone blemish a road hiccup to a surging Florida team.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has Auburn as a No. 3 seed in his latest bracketology projection for the NCAA Tournament.

So, yeah, Bruce Pearl is getting the most out of his outfit. And enjoying every step of the way doing so.