AUBURN — John Cohen said his most recent coaching hire, Steven Pearl , had "countless" opportunities to pursue coaching elsewhere during decade-plus stint as an Auburn basketball assistant.

It was clear Wednesday, Sept. 24, those had come to pass.

That's when Pearl was introduced as the 22nd head coach in the program's history, where he'll be succeeding his father, Bruce Pearl , who announced his retirement Monday, Sept. 24.

The younger Pearl's coaching career hasn't existed outside of the Plains. He joined the program in 2014 as a strength and conditioning assistant, became its director of operations the next season and was promoted to an on-court assistant role two years later. He continued to elevate from there, with his naming as associate head coach in 2023. He also acknowl

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