Life After Bruce

[tigeraddikt 1,610]

What type of HC will Auburn be able to attract when Bruce hangs it up? I feel like he wants to set Steven up for the succession, but unless SP spreads his wings and takes another smaller HC gig beforehand (and does well), I don’t really see that happening. Where that leaves Auburn is: where do you go from Bruce? Does AU revert back to the “promising” mid-major HC route, which Lebo and Barbee both were? Can Auburn attract a proven championship caliber HC? What about someone like Bucky if he were available?

it’s a bit knee-jerk, as I think Pettiford will be the most skilled game-ready Freshman guard that Bruce will have ever brought in. But between the recruiting misses, in-game coaching issues, teams that lack focus away from home, lack of post season mojo since 2019, and questionable roster management methods, I’m ready/willing to peek ahead.

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

Edited January 28 by tigeraddikt

[CCTAU 3,327]

Ima just enjoy right now, thank you.

[OfficiatingExpert 126]

I’d like Golden from Florida when Bruce leaves. I think we’re going to be able to hire whoever we want for the most part because of the buy in we’ve had by our fans. Coaches are going to love the fan buy in when we’re looking for our next one. Steven Pearl…maybe. I’m not sold on him. 

[arktiger1975 518]

23 minutes ago, tigeraddikt said:

What type of HC will Auburn be able to attract when Bruce hangs it up? I feel like he wants to set Steven up for the succession, but unless SP spreads his wings and takes another smaller HC gig beforehand (and does well), I don’t really see that happening. Where that leaves Auburn is: where do you go from Bruce? Does AU revert back to the “promising” mid-major HC route, which Lebo and Barbee both were? Can Auburn attract a proven championship caliber HC? What about someone like Bucky if he were available?

it’s a bit knee-jerk, as I think Pettiford will be the most skilled game-ready Freshman guard that Bruce will have ever brought in. But between the recruiting misses, in-game coaching issues, teams that lack focus away from home, lack of post season mojo since 2019, and questionable roster management methods, I’m ready/willing to peek ahead.

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

The last couple of years have definitely been disappointing, especially after the way they ended. I feel like Bruce will have to have another great season or two for Steven to merit serious consideration. 

As far as replacements, I like Bucky, and certainly wouldn't mind us giving him a serious look. I'm not sure who would be a viable candidate as far as proven championship winning coaches. Most of the giants in the coaching world are at programs they probably wouldn't leave and/or are getting near the end of their careers. Maybe a Brian Dutcher type (although I think he is around 60 himself), or a Scott Drew if we could lure him away from Baylor. Would Billy Donovan be an option if he leaves the NBA, or the Bulls fire him? But outside of a few like these, we would probably be looking at a proven winner from a mid major level.

Edited January 28 by arktiger1975

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,673]

I honestly think it's more about who would take Auburn, and that is dependent on where we are in the progression of allocating resources towards the type of stuff CBP has been asking for. Even though he is like a 60 year old conservative grandad, he seems to be at least good in terms of identifying what it takes to have a competitive b-ball program in today's game. And based on his public analyses, we seem to be behind and have been for a minute. You're not going to attract the high-stock guys that'd already be on the level of Pearl or better, if that's the case.

 

That being said, I do think it'd be easy to get the guys a couple rungs down from there. LSU got Mcmahon from Murray St while facing pretty tough extenuating circumstances, and he may have had one of the 5-10 best mid majors at the time of his departure. While LSU probably has better resources than us (just a guess) and a consistently enchanting athletic department, I don't think they'd be in a different tier than us as a b-ball program. All in all, I would think a top 25 mid-major coach would be the floor, atm 

[arktiger1975 518]

8 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I honestly think it's more about who would take Auburn, and that is dependent on where we are in the progression of allocating resources towards the type of stuff CBP has been asking for. Even though he is like a 60 year old conservative grandad, he seems to be at least good in terms of identifying what it takes to have a competitive b-ball program in today's game. And based on his public analyses, we seem to be behind and have been for a minute. You're not going to attract the high-stock guys that'd already be on the level of Pearl or better, if that's the case.

 

That being said, I do think it'd be easy to get the guys a couple rungs down from there. LSU got Mcmahon from Murray St while facing pretty tough extenuating circumstances, and he may have had one of the 5-10 best mid majors at the time of his departure. While LSU probably has better resources than us (just a guess) and a consistently enchanting athletic department, I don't think they'd be in a different tier than us as a b-ball program. All in all, I would think a top 25 mid-major coach would be the floor, atm 

McMahon has been a train wreck at LSU, so I sure hope we don't end up with a dud like that.

[keesler 5,924]

14 hours ago, tigeraddikt said:

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

Auburn is currently in the midst of our program’s “Golden Age” of basketball based on AU history.  THESE are the best of times, and our fans better soak it in and enjoy every minute. 
 

To say it’s Stagnated and under achieved while Pearl makes the tourney every year is ludicrous when compared to the pre-Pearl era.  

[johnjacob 44]

15 hours ago, tigeraddikt said:

What type of HC will Auburn be able to attract when Bruce hangs it up? I feel like he wants to set Steven up for the succession, but unless SP spreads his wings and takes another smaller HC gig beforehand (and does well), I don’t really see that happening. Where that leaves Auburn is: where do you go from Bruce? Does AU revert back to the “promising” mid-major HC route, which Lebo and Barbee both were? Can Auburn attract a proven championship caliber HC? What about someone like Bucky if he were available?

it’s a bit knee-jerk, as I think Pettiford will be the most skilled game-ready Freshman guard that Bruce will have ever brought in. But between the recruiting misses, in-game coaching issues, teams that lack focus away from home, lack of post season mojo since 2019, and questionable roster management methods, I’m ready/willing to peek ahead.

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

He does not need to spread his wings. Did the Duke HC spread his wings?-No. Steven knows the program and what it takes to win at AU that is most important. Bring in a coach that does not know that and we get a Lebo or Barbee again. They failed because they did not know how to win at AU. They won at other places, but every job is not the same. Fit is important. There are some great coaches that have struggled at programs, because they were not "fits'. We are seeing that right now at UCLA. Cronin is a great coach and he has had some early success at UCLA, but this season the team is struggling because his blue collar style does not mesh well with the glitzy Los Angeles vibe. It will be interesting to see if he can will that program back to the early success he has had there. A coach can bring a blue collar attitude to UCLA, but he has got to play a more NBA friendly style and be a better salesman than what Cronin is. Cronin is Midwest through and through. 

Edited January 28 by johnjacob

[arktiger1975 518]

3 minutes ago, johnjacob said:

He does not need to spread his wings. Did the Duke HC spread his wings?-No. Steven knows the program and what it takes to win at AU that is most important. Bring in a coach that does not know that and we get a Lebo or Barbee again. They failed because they did not know how to win at AU. They won at other places, but every job is not the same. Fit is important. There are some great coaches that have struggled at programs, because they were not "fits'. We are seeing that right now at UCLA. Cronin is a great coach and he has had some early success at UCLA, but this season the team is struggling because his blue collar style does not mesh well with the glitzy Los Angeles vibe. It will be interesting to see if he can will that program back to the early success he has had there. 

I agree about Cronin. You have to have a coach who plays an up-tempo, Showtime style, or it won't sell in L.A.

[tigeraddikt 1,610]

2 hours ago, keesler said:

Auburn is currently in the midst of our program’s “Golden Age” of basketball based on AU history.  THESE are the best of times, and our fans better soak it in and enjoy every minute. 
 

To say it’s Stagnated and under achieved while Pearl makes the tourney every year is ludicrous when compared to the pre-Pearl era.  

Thanks for that contribution. Compared to the pre-Pearl era? Absolutely. Compared to what it could/should be now…debatable. I simply wanted to start a speculative discussion regarding where AU might turn for the next HC. It was more in-line with Saban’s recent retirement rather than this week’s relatively poor road performances by the men’s team. Pearl has not make the tourney every year. He sacrificed 2020, but wouldn’t have made it even if he and the department hadn’t self-declared post-season ineligibility. I am thrilled at the turnaround BP has ushered for AU men’s hoops, and I enjoy watching each 20+ win season unfold. However, to hold him above reproach or criticism, or to turn a blind eye to the fact that many performances (road and post-season) leave MUCH to be desired, is what is ludicrous.

I'm not wishing BP gone, just wondering about his eventual replacement.

Edited January 28 by tigeraddikt

[keesler 5,924]

39 minutes ago, tigeraddikt said:

Thanks for that contribution. Compared to the pre-Pearl era? Absolutely. Compared to what it could/should be now…debatable. I simply wanted to start a speculative discussion regarding where AU might turn for the next HC. It was more in-line with Saban’s recent retirement rather than this week’s relatively poor road performances by the men’s team. Pearl has not make the tourney every year. He sacrificed 2020, but wouldn’t have made it even if he and the department hadn’t self-declared post-season ineligibility. I am thrilled at the turnaround BP has ushered for AU men’s hoops, and I enjoy watching each 20+ win season unfold. However, to hold him above reproach or criticism, or to turn a blind eye to the fact that many performances (road and post-season) leave MUCH to be desired, is what is ludicrous.

I'm not wishing BP gone, just wondering about his eventual replacement.

I understand your point and I still think this current AU product is phenomenally better than anything prior to Pearl. He built this thing, he brings the hype and he is by far the best ambassador for AU sports, over any other AU coach we’ve had in a very long time.  

Bruce single handily brought fan attention, passion and dedication to basketball.  He’s got plenty of years left in the tank and with unlimited & unrestricted NIL/portal, and the $$ he makes for the Auburn brand, he is the best fans can hope for.  JMHO. 

[tigeraddikt 1,610]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

I understand your point and I still think this current AU product is phenomenally better than anything prior to Pearl. He built this thing, he brings the hype and he is by far the best ambassador for AU sports, over any other AU coach we’ve had in a very long time.  

Bruce single handily brought fan attention, passion and dedication to basketball.  He’s got plenty of years left in the tank and with unlimited & unrestricted NIL/portal, and the $$ he makes for the Auburn brand, he is the best fans can hope for.  JMHO. 

I agree with all of this.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,673]

8 hours ago, arktiger1975 said:

McMahon has been a train wreck at LSU, so I sure hope we don't end up with a dud like that.

He's had two years at LSU and their entire roster transferred before he came. They have a litany of active violations against them. 

Also, not that I'm trying to make a real equivalency here, but they finished with almost the exact same record last year as Pearl had in his first seasons, and already have as many wins now as Pearl had in his second season. They also have 2 more Quad 1 wins than we have right now.... All that being said, there's absolutely no way to judge how they've performed so far in a fair light, but he's a guy that had a high stock as a coaching prospect, and that'd be the type of dude we should have as our most realistic option, unless something goes terribly wrong 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,673]

3 hours ago, johnjacob said:

He does not need to spread his wings. Did the Duke HC spread his wings?-No. Steven knows the program and what it takes to win at AU that is most important. Bring in a coach that does not know that and we get a Lebo or Barbee again. They failed because they did not know how to win at AU. They won at other places, but every job is not the same. Fit is important. There are some great coaches that have struggled at programs, because they were not "fits'. We are seeing that right now at UCLA. Cronin is a great coach and he has had some early success at UCLA, but this season the team is struggling because his blue collar style does not mesh well with the glitzy Los Angeles vibe. It will be interesting to see if he can will that program back to the early success he has had there. A coach can bring a blue collar attitude to UCLA, but he has got to play a more NBA friendly style and be a better salesman than what Cronin is. Cronin is Midwest through and through. 

It's funny that I listened to a podcast in December where they described Cronin and UCLA in a pretty similar light. They suggested he'd really consider the Louisville job, even with how bad they've been as of late, bc it's more his style. 

I do need to read up more on how the challenge is out in LA as a basketball coach. Enfield seems to be a great recruiter and is tapped into the glitzy/showboaty nature of the HS out there, but he's horrible at coaching. 

[JDUBB4AU 5,121]

Pearl has another decade in him. At that point AU basketball will be a top 15 basketball job with insane resources. It will attract the best. That’s my opinion 

[AURex 2,000]

I'm not dissing on CBP because he has totally rebuilt Auburn BB into a good program -- not great, but waaaaaayyyyy better than it was when he arrived. I'm so impressed with what he has accomplished so far at Auburn.

But I'm not as impressed with what I've been seeing on the floor the past couple of years.

Yes, a big part of that is recruiting. He pulls in the best he can get, which objectively has not really been elite. But also .... hey, I'm not a coach and CBP has been a great coach for decades ...... I just have concerns about what I'm seeing on the floor.

Life after CBP? I have no frigginstic clue. Will it come in 3 years? 10 years? Who knows what the BB landscape will be then and which coaches might be available.

To me, this is all very premature. CBP ain't giving up anytime soon and truth be told, Auburn will not push CBP out anytime soon.

 

 

Edited January 29 by AURex

[TitanTiger 20,483]

I think assuming Bruce is around for another 7-10 years, if Steven stays on that whole time I wouldn't be opposed to elevating him to HC.  Other places such as Duke have done that with long time assistants.

I think Bruce's run over the last 6 years or so has got people thinking that somehow we're a permanent fixture at this level of competitiveness.  We aren't.  Auburn in basketball is basically a hair better than Vanderbilt in football historically.  We've had a few well-spaced out pockets of success followed by many, many consecutive seasons of utter futility.  There's something to be said for continuity and experience knowing how to recruit to Auburn, how to interact with and engage the power brokers and the fanbase, how to be successful and popular at a football school, etc.

Now, if some really great current HC just happened to be interested we'd certainly have to give that person a serious look too.  I'm not saying we mail it in and bank on that right now.  But grabbing the next up and comer from a mid major just because he's got HC experience doesn't seem like a clearly better choice to me.

[arktiger1975 518]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

I think assuming Bruce is around for another 7-10 years, if Steven stays on that whole time I wouldn't be opposed to elevating him to HC.  Other places such as Duke have done that with long time assistants.

I think Bruce's run over the last 6 years or so has got people thinking that somehow we're a permanent fixture at this level of competitiveness.  We aren't.  Auburn in basketball is basically a hair better than Vanderbilt in football historically.  We've had a few well-spaced out pockets of success followed by many, many consecutive seasons of utter futility.  There's something to be said for continuity and experience knowing how to recruit to Auburn, how to interact with and engage the power brokers and the fanbase, how to be successful and popular at a football school, etc.

Now, if some really great current HC just happened to be interested we'd certainly have to give that person a serious look too.  I'm not saying we mail it in and bank on that right now.  But grabbing the next up and comer from a mid major just because he's got HC experience doesn't seem like a clearly better choice to me.

I'm hoping to get another 5 good years out of Bruce at the least. We need that stability to establish that we can be successful long-term. 

[johnjacob 44]

20 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

He's had two years at LSU and their entire roster transferred before he came. They have a litany of active violations against them. 

Also, not that I'm trying to make a real equivalency here, but they finished with almost the exact same record last year as Pearl had in his first seasons, and already have as many wins now as Pearl had in his second season. They also have 2 more Quad 1 wins than we have right now.... All that being said, there's absolutely no way to judge how they've performed so far in a fair light, but he's a guy that had a high stock as a coaching prospect, and that'd be the type of dude we should have as our most realistic option, unless something goes terribly wrong 

He has done better than I thought he would and I think he is a good coach, but LSU's roster was decimated after Wade. LSU should be thrilled with where they are considering. 

[aubiefifty 16,798]

On 1/27/2024 at 11:32 PM, tigeraddikt said:

What type of HC will Auburn be able to attract when Bruce hangs it up? I feel like he wants to set Steven up for the succession, but unless SP spreads his wings and takes another smaller HC gig beforehand (and does well), I don’t really see that happening. Where that leaves Auburn is: where do you go from Bruce? Does AU revert back to the “promising” mid-major HC route, which Lebo and Barbee both were? Can Auburn attract a proven championship caliber HC? What about someone like Bucky if he were available?

it’s a bit knee-jerk, as I think Pettiford will be the most skilled game-ready Freshman guard that Bruce will have ever brought in. But between the recruiting misses, in-game coaching issues, teams that lack focus away from home, lack of post season mojo since 2019, and questionable roster management methods, I’m ready/willing to peek ahead.

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

he has had health issues. i have no idea if it effected his coaching or not.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,673]

On 1/27/2024 at 11:32 PM, tigeraddikt said:

I honestly feel like the most enduring legacy Bruce will have ever left AU (future perfect tense alert) is turning the Arena into a monster home court advantage. (That pre-supposes he does not win a NCAA tourney.) He’s been a perfect ambassador for the school, and he alone rebuilt the program. He deserves eternal gratitude from AU fans, but to me, he has stagnated and under-achieved the past few years, with the league only getting tougher.

I honestly think Auburn is a program where just being consistently relevant on the national stage is something that should grant a coach a 10/10 legacy. Like I would want more than that, but I don’t think Auburn has earned expectations greater than that out of a coaching tenure 

It may very well, even with including the Pearl years, be in the bottom half of the SEC next year in general program history. I think we gotta be careful to not underrate what a tough job it is for the guy, just because he’s elevated the floor 

[KillenTime 127]

Bruce is Auburn Basketball.  There is a small chance Stephen can keep it going. Otherwise, when Bruce’s time is up, so is ours. Enjoy the run we are on. 

[KillenTime 127]

5 hours ago, johnjacob said:

He has done better than I thought he would and I think he is a good coach, but LSU's roster was decimated after Wade. LSU should be thrilled with where they are considering. 

Agree. 

[KillenTime 127]

23 hours ago, AURex said:

I'm not dissing on CBP because he has totally rebuilt Auburn BB into a good program -- not great, but waaaaaayyyyy better than it was when he arrived. I'm so impressed with what he has accomplished so far at Auburn.

But I'm not as impressed with what I've been seeing on the floor the past couple of years.

Yes, a big part of that is recruiting. He pulls in the best he can get, which objectively has not really been elite. But also .... hey, I'm not a coach and CBP has been a great coach for decades ...... I just have concerns about what I'm seeing on the floor.

Life after CBP? I have no frigginstic clue. Will it come in 3 years? 10 years? Who knows what the BB landscape will be then and which coaches might be available.

To me, this is all very premature. CBP ain't giving up anytime soon and truth be told, Auburn will not push CBP out anytime soon.

 

 

Not Great - LOL. Great for Auburn. 

[KillenTime 127]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:54 AM, arktiger1975 said:

McMahon has been a train wreck at LSU, so I sure hope we don't end up with a dud like that.

Wow. To have them competitive with total roster turnover and being on probation. I was just thinking what an amazing job that guy is doing.