Bruce Pearl ranks Auburn frontcourt against all in his career

Bruce Pearl arrived at Auburn in 2014, hoping to turn around the struggling program. Over the past eight seasons, he has turned a sub-.500 team into a consistent threat on the national stage.

Prior to his time at Auburn, Pearl coached at Milwaukee and Tennessee. He made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances across the two schools, including all six seasons with the Volunteers before an NCAA investigation forced his departure.

Throughout his many years of coaching, the veteran has coached some great teams, including No. 1 ranked squads at both Auburn and Tennessee. However, Bruce Pearl believes the 2021-22 frontcourt stacks up with any he has coached.

“It’s the best frontcourt I’ve ever had, anywhere,” said Bruce Pearl said about his 2021-22 Auburn team. “Tobias Harris, pretty good at Tennessee. Wayne Chism, Tyler Smith were pretty good at Tennessee. But these guys are the best I’ve ever had.”

Despite their success, no lineup can compare to Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler in Pearl’s eyes. NBA experts seem to agree, projecting both as potential first round picks.

Bruce Pearl on Auburn recruiting

The acquisition of five-star recruit Jabari Smith, now one of the favorites to go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, marked just how far Bruce Pearl has brought Auburn over the past eight years. He discussed the changes in how he recruits and what it took to reach this point.

“Well, I mean, look, we had to — the bottom line, we were able to recruit guys that didn’t have a lot of SEC offers like Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Anfernee McLemore, J’Von McCormick,” said Pearl. “Not just to name those guys; obviously, Austin Wiley was a very big get. And we won without any McDonald’s All-Americans. After the Final Four, I think a lot of five-star kids said, wow, if that’s what you can do with three- and four-star kids, imagine what you could do with a five-star.”

He continued: “That’s why we got Jabari. That’s why Walker came back. And so we did really good with three- and four-stars, and we’re doing really well with five-stars. I’m a lot better coach with good players, I can tell you that right now. And I’ve got some great players.”

However, it is not only the five-star recruits which make Auburn great. The combination of those players with the identity built by Pearl’s three- and four-star veterans creates a winning culture.