The plans should already be prepared for the board of trustee to see. The board of trustees, in turn, should vote for the plan unanimously. Everyone should get behind the idea: Bruce Pearl Court at Neville Arena.
After Auburn's victory over Texas on Tuesday, Pearl became the winningest coach in program history. That alone should be enough to get his name etched into arena lore for the rest of time. But it's much more than that.
Auburn already has examples of honoring coaches in this way. Plainsman Park has both Samford and Hitchcock names attached to it. Jordan-Hare Stadium became Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium. And while Dye most definitely left his legacy and stamp on the football program for what he accomplished from 1981-92 as both coach and athletic director, what Pearl has done for Auburn's basketball program is even more impressive.
It was a program left for dead after years of mistreatment. Auburn made two NCAA Tournaments in the 21st century when Pearl was hired in 2014, and none since 2003. Due to Tony Barbee's laissez-faire attitude, it was close to being, if not the worst program in all of the Power Five conferences. There was no investment, no support, no talent, and, most damning, no hope.
That all changed on March 18, 2014. Before he even settled into his house, Pearl was making the rounds, appearing in dunk tanks on the concourse and doing everything in his will to garner attention for what was a morbid program. He shook every hand, kissed every baby and went to work to ensure that Jay Jacobs and the powers-that-be at Auburn University made the right decision. And credit to Jacobs and everyone involved in the hiring process because they took a chance on a coach coming off a three-year show-clause penalty that could have gone awry.
But this thing started trending upward almost immediately. There was a magical three-day run in the 2015 SEC Tournament. There were wins over programs such as Kentucky that used to treat Auburn like a little brother. And then, Auburn basketball became a thing—a 2018 SEC regular-season championship followed by the 2019 SEC Tournament title and a trip to the Final Four. First-round draft picks started having "Auburn" called after their name at the NBA draft. Tickets to games in Neville Arena became the hottest ticket in town.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler led the program to its first No. 1 ranking. And on and on and on.
Now, Auburn is discussed alongside the ranks of Duke, Kansas, and others who have ruled the sports for so much longer than the Tigers have been a threat. Pearl now has the Tigers a win away from another top ranking and a team that many in the college basketball world consider the best in the nation.
Reading those sentences ten years ago would have you believe you just saw Bigfoot and that the Easter Bunny was a reality. Now, it's just a typical day in the life of Pearl and the program he built from six feet under.
A statue outside the arena would be another honor he deserves. If Charles Barkley is the face of Auburn basketball, Pearl isn't far behind.
Of course, it hasn't been just him. On Thursday, Pearl went through every assistant he's had on staff during his time on the Plains and thanked his players who have made all of this possible. He realizes he hasn't done this alone, but at the center of everything, Pearl's hands are on everything that goes on in the program.
The Tigers were nobody. They were the little engine that couldn't. Pearl turned all that around.
It's a no-brainer: Bruce Pearl Court at Neville Arena. That has a nice ring to it.
