Sources: Pearl to retire as Auburn hoops coach

Bruce Pearl is expected to discontinue arsenic the caput manager astatine Auburn, sources told ESPN connected Monday.

Steven Pearl, Pearl's lad and the Tigers' subordinate caput coach, is expected to beryllium the caput manager for the upcoming season, sources told ESPN.

Pearl, 65, is coming disconnected a play successful which helium guided Auburn to its second-ever Final Four appearance. The Tigers earned the No. 1 wide effect successful the NCAA tourney aft winning the SEC regular-season championship, racking up 32 wins earlier falling to Florida successful the nationalist semifinal.

He's been the caput manager astatine Auburn for 11 seasons, starring the Tigers to six NCAA tourney appearances and some of the program's Final Four runs. During Pearl's clip astatine Auburn, the Tigers won astatine slightest a stock of 3 SEC regular-season titles and 2 SEC tourney championships.

He went 246-125 astatine Auburn.

Pearl has agelong been linked to a post-coaching vocation successful politics, thing helium addressed successful aboriginal September pursuing months-long rumors regarding Pearl arsenic a imaginable campaigner for Tommy Tuberville's unfastened U.S. Senate seat.

"It's surely thing that I had considered," Pearl told reporters. "It's thing I thought a large woody about, but evidently I'm present contiguous and I'm successful signifier and I've got signifier tomorrow."

Prior to taking implicit astatine Auburn, Pearl had been the caput manager astatine Tennessee, Milwaukee and Southern Indiana. He went to the NCAA tourney successful each six of his seasons with the Volunteers, including 3 Sweet 16 appearances and 1 Elite Eight run. He was fired successful 2011 aft being charged by the NCAA for unethical behaviour aft lying to the NCAA during an probe into recruiting violations.

Pearl was fixed a three-year show-cause punishment by the NCAA, with Auburn hiring him 5 months earlier it ended.