From father to son: Steven Pearl takes the reins at Auburn

Wednesday morning marked the dawn of a new era in Auburn men’s basketball: the Steven Pearl era.

Steven, 38, will have massive shoes to fill as he takes over for his father, Bruce, the greatest coach in Tigers history.

“It’s an honor to lead this university and this program into the next chapter of Auburn basketball. I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life,” Steven said. “That journey has shaped how I lead, how I listen and how I build. It’s given me a front-row seat to the principles that made this program so successful.”

Steven has been on his father’s staff at Auburn since 2014 and has been a part of the program’s winning culture. During the past 11 seasons, he has held roles as assistant strength and conditioning coach, director of basketball operations, assistant coach and most recently associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He has played a vital role in the recruiting and success of Auburn stars such as Walker Kessler and Johni Broome. Throughout his introductory press conference, he credited his staff numerous times with the team’s recent success and made it clear they don’t plan on changing much from the Bruce era.

“I’d be a fool if I were to change things just for the sake of changing — just to prove that I’m not BP,” Steven said.

Outsiders have questioned whether Steven has earned the head coaching job, but it’s clear that he has and plans to keep winning basketball on The Plains.  

“The five years I played for you, the 11 years I’ve been under your wing, have been some of the best years of my life,” Steven said. “We’ve won 367 games together, 18 in the NCAA Tournament. We’ve won seven SEC championships. We’ve been to two Final Fours together. I can put a number on those accomplishments, but I can’t begin to quantify what I’ve learned from you to prepare me for this moment.”

Bruce’s entire staff will be staying put for this season, so there won’t be many changes under Steven. During the press conference, it was announced that Ira Bowman will take over as the team’s new associate head coach. Bowman has been on the staff since 2018 as an assistant coach.

“This staff has been with BP for a very long time, and this staff is a big reason why this program has reached unprecedented heights,” Steven said. “I recognize that following the greatest coach in Auburn basketball history, a coach who’s dominated this league for the last eight years, is a daunting task, but what gives me tremendous confidence is those men right over there. This staff is one that BP has empowered. It’s one that he’s entrusted, and it’s one that has their fingerprints all over the success of this program. BP said for a really long time that we have the best staff in college basketball, and he’s 100% right.” 

Last season was one of the greatest in Auburn basketball history. The 2024-25 team won 32 games, captured the SEC regular season championship and made it to the Final Four. Having that experience under his belt is important for Steven and his development heading into his first season as head coach.

“To be able to go to our second Final Four since 2019 was an incredible experience,” Steven said. “To finish the year, we went through a tough stretch. We won the SEC championship with a week left in the season, but we had a few injuries going into Texas A&M and then lost a heartbreaker at home. For our team to come together, for Dylan Cardwell to step up in a team meeting and say what needed to be said to get our guys locked in for one final run — that changed everything. It allowed us to win four games, including two against top-10 teams and one against a top-25 team in Creighton. We’ve come up short twice, but that drives and motivates this staff to do everything we can, day in and day out, to find a way to get back and finish the job.”

Steven is set to make his head coaching debut Oct. 15 in an exhibition against Oklahoma State. Tipoff at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, is set for 7 p.m. CST.