Bruce Pearl will still be a part of the college basketball scene this season, even though he is no longer coaching.
TNT and CBS Sports announced Thursday that Pearl will be an analyst for their coverage this season.
Pearl will be on the TNT studio team alongside Jalen Rose, Jamal Mashburn, Chris Webber and Adam Lefkoe for her first season of play in Big East and Big 12 play. Pearl will also serve as a game and studio analyst for CBS during the regular season.
Pearl will then move into the CBS and TNT studios during their joint coverage of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
It's a natural transition for Pearl, who worked in studio at CBS and TNT during the years when his teams left the project early during March Madness. Plus, Pearl's home in Auburn, Alabama, is just a two-hour drive from the Turner Network studios in Atlanta.
Pearl, 65, announced his retirement Sept. 22, less than six months after leading Auburn to its success. second trip to the Final Four.
“I don’t think it took them 24 hours to contact us,” Pearl said of the interest from networks. “I've worked with these guys before and seen how they do everything. I was glad they called and showed interest.”
In 30 seasons as a head coach, Pearl led Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn to the NCAA Tournament 22 times and compiled a 694-270 record. He also won the NCAA Division II championship at Southern Indiana.
Pearl and St. John's Rick Pitino Last season he shared the Associated Press Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year award. It was the first tie in the award's 58-year history.
“I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I'm going to try to bring that same passion and intensity, and I'm looking forward to teaching a little bit and sharing some of the nuances of how this guy opens up like that and what do they need to get that shot? I think the viewer is a lot smarter than what I think a lot of analysts give them credit for.”
Auburn, which will be coached by Stephen Pearl, who was on his father's coaching staff all 11 of his seasons at the school, is ranked No. 20 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
CBS also announced that Robbie Hummel will serve as a game and studio analyst during the regular season, as well as a game analyst during the NCAA Tournament.
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