Bruce Pearl retiring as Auburn basketball coach

Bruce Pearl is going to be calling it a career as a basketball coach.

Pearl is set to retire as Auburn’s basketball coach. His son Steven is expected to take over for him and coach the Tigers this fall.

Pearl, 65, has been the coach at Auburn for 11 seasons. He has led the team to the Final Four twice, including last season, when the team went 32-6 and won the SEC. Pearl’s Tigers have won the SEC twice and finished tied for first once. They made the NCAA Tournament six times.

Pearl is Jewish and has been vocal about his support of Israel. That has led to some speculation that he could now get involved in politics.

Auburn is the fourth school where Pearl has been the head coach. He also coached at Southern Indiana, UW-Milwaukee and Tennessee. He won a Division II national championship, and he led his Division I teams to the NCAA Tournament 16 times, reaching at least the Sweet Sixteen six times.

Pearl has also been in trouble with the NCAA during his career, though there is no indication of any present wrongdoing with the organization.