Bruce Pearl reveals when he knew Jabari Smith would become an NBA All-Star

Even though Auburn had an early exit in the Men’s NCAA March Madness Tournament, Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl might have still helped catapult his star forward, Jabari Smith, into becoming the number one overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. During a recent interview on The Herd with Colin cowherd, Pearl reveals when he knew Smith would become an NBA All-Star.

“I think I knew right around Thanksgiving when we played in The Battle for Atlantis,” said Pearl. “So we had three games in a row UConn, Loyola, and Syracuse and he just kept on getting better. He wasn’t afraid of the moment, and he never acted or behaved like a freshman. And UConn tried to punk him a little bit; this young 198-pound kid let’s see what he’s got. You best not poke the bear because he’s not afraid of the moment. I think he’s the first NBA All-Star that I’ve coached. I had Tobias Harris at Tennessee and I knew Tobias would be a great long-time NBA player. We had a chance to approach it, an all-star level; this kid’s an all-star.”

The road to Smith becoming an NBA All-Star will officially begin after Thursday’s draft. The former Tigers forward is one of three likely candidates to become the number one overall pick in the draft, along with Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero. And once the easy part is done, on Thursday, Smith will begin his journey to prove that he is worthy of all the praise from Pearl and others and a future NBA All-Star selection.

Pearl calls Auburn an ‘everything school,’ promotes coaching ideology

Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl has helped turn the school’s basketball program into one of the elite programs in the country. But according to Pearl, Auburn is not just a football or basketball school. No, it’s an ‘everything school.’

“… We’re an everything school,” said Pearl on The Herd. “I believe in the ministry of coaching. I believe in the work that can be done at a college campus. I’m not proud of what we’re doing in this country universally, on college campuses. I wish we could have diversity of thought, exchange different ideas, agree to disagree about different things, challenge and pray before meals every now and then and teach these kids to love our country a little bit more than what we do i think that’s what we do. I think that’s what we do at Auburn, and I think this has been an environment we’ve been able to train guys to go out there and be great. “

Pearl and Auburn enjoyed another postseason run, this time courtesy of the men’s baseball team. Auburn made it deep into the College World Series in Omaha before being eliminated by SEC West rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Despite the Tigers recent struggles on the football field, they are considered a legitimate threat year in and year out. And with Auburn being a title contender throughout the majority of their athletic programs, Pearl might have a legitimate case for the university being and everything’s school.