Some questioned the hire of Bruce Pearl's son, but Steven has the touch.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl has won four in a row after Wednesday's 88-82 victory against Texas at Auburn's Neville Arena. Auburn coach Steven Pearl had some unconventional advice for player Kevin Overton during the Tigers’ impressive 88-82 victory against Texas.
Overton had just picked up a technical foul. It was pretty bad stuff, and Overton is lucky he wasn’t kicked out of the game.“Sometimes when you MF them like that, you’re done,” Pearl said.Note to self. Don’t “MF” the refs of the SEC no matter how blind they appear.Overton picked up his tech in the first half on Wednesday night. He didn’t like a foul call and he was feeding off the energy of the crowd. The whistles at that point in the game were not favoring Auburn, and Neville Arena can get pretty animated when that happens. After a couple free throws for Texas, the Longhorns had an early 30-18 lead and all the momentum. It looked like Auburn’s three-game winning streak was coming undone. Not only did Overton suffer that temporary break from sanity, but Texas’ 3-point shooters were losing their minds, too.During a break in the action, Pearl suggested to Overton that he should walk over to the victimized official and “pat him on the butt and say you’re sorry.” Now, listen. Take my advice. The butt-slap apology requires a wise set of hands. For example, don’t go apologizing to a co-worker in the office with a slap on the backside. Our friends in human resources don’t like that.Clearly, all jokes aside, Pearl was taking a chance, but sometimes you have a feeling. “He went over there patting the guy, and Vlad responded really well to it,” Pearl said. “That’s not always the case with officials.”Luckily, the ref appreciated the kind touch. More importantly, though, Overton reacted well to the mental reset. He went on to lead Auburn with 25 points, including 17 in the second decisive second half. That’s a credit to Pearl, who is quickly transforming into one of the best young coaches in the country. Pearl took over for father Bruce right before the beginning of the season. I wasn’t expecting much from Steven’s team in his first season, but we’re midway through the schedule and Pearl looks like a candidate for SEC coach of the year. It’s going to be tough winning that award over Texas A&M’s Bucky McMillan, but there’s still time. Both Auburn and first-place Texas A&M are facing difficult weeks ahead, but the Tigers have won four in a row and are playing some of the best basketball in the conference.Auburn is now tied for fifth in the SEC standings. Considering no fewer than 10 teams in the league will make the NCAA Tournament, that’s impressive. SEC basketball fans were doubting young Pearl earlier this season, but I’m a believer.Auburn wouldn’t have come back against Texas if he was angry with the refs the entire game. Pearl is proving that he can manage egos. That’s the job these days, and Pearl has this team playing well together. The work with Overton is the most recent proof, but there’s more. “KO is able to come back and play really well offensively,” Pearl said. “So, when he makes shots, our offense is way different. Obviously, we don’t win tonight if he and Keyshawn Hall don’t make eight threes. “He’s capable of doing that, and I know it’s in there. … Tonight, we took what the defense gave us and went 11 of 21 from three and took a lot of good ones.”Pearl has Hall playing like an All-American. He had an eye-opening 31 points against the Longhorns, and that’s becoming the norm. But what I’m loving most about Pearl’s team isn’t the offensive production of Overton and Hall. It’s actually the lack of points for star guard Tahaad Pettiford. Pettiford went 2 of 10 from the field against Texas and finished with seven points in 36 minutes. The shots will eventually start falling again. No one should be worried about that. In the meantime, Pettiford is learning how to be a resilient team leader on the court. Auburn is always at its best when it has a team-first floor general. I had questions about Pettiford in the beginning, but he is finding his way.The differences between Steven and his dad are subtle, but we’re beginning to feel a slightly softer hand during games. So are the refs.Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything for the reader mailbag. Joseph is the lead sports columnist for AL.com and author of the highly controversial book "We Want Bama." SEC provocateur and expert in the field game management, Joseph's columns have been voted the best in...
@Josephgoodman Josephgoodman @Yahoo Section:/Auburnbasketball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Delcy Rodríguez to Sec. Bessent: ‘Venezuela Does Not Accept Orders from Any External Factor’Source of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Arkansas Razorbacks Have More Than Themselves Standing in Way of First SEC Road WinCalipari's Hogs must stay focused defensively to slow down high-scoring Sooners
Read more »
SEC’s Latest Scandals Ask an Uncomfortable Question: Where Is Greg Sankey?The league’s commissioner has been notably absent during Ole Miss’s alleged tampering with a Clemson linebacker and Alabama pushing for eligibility for pro hoops player Charles Bediako.
Read more »
Ole Miss Football Trending to Land Commitment From Prized SEC Wide Receiver TransferPete Golding and Co. are eyeing another talented SEC wideout in the Transfer Portal, gaining momentum to land pledge.
Read more »
Former Acting DHS Sec’y Chad Wolf: The Left Pushing False Perception ICE Like Mall CopsSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Auburn hosts Texas as Steven Pearl calls Longhorns most dangerous SEC teamSteven Pearl says his team must replicate its defensive intensity from the Florida game. The Longhorns feature four players averaging double-digit scoring.
Read more »