Bruce Pearl Tennessee
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl talks to reporters during the SEC Basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Ala, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)
AUBURN, Alabama -- Former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will not confirm whether Auburn has reached out to him, but he is willing to listen if the school's representatives show interest.
The coach was asked about his interest Friday in the Auburn men's basketball job, which came open Wednesday following the firing of Tony Barbee, during his weekly radio appearance on WJOX-FM.
"You know, I think, for me, I'm really happy to talk about where I'm at and not really speak to where other folks are at," he said. "I will definitely listen. I'm not going to solicit schools. If they would like to contact me and talk about their opportunity, it's an honor, it's flattering and you see if it's the best thing for an institution and for me and my family and a coaching staff."
Pearl has been out of work since 2011, when he was fired at Tennessee amid a cloud of off-the-court allegations. The NCAA later punished him with a three-year show-cause for lying to the organization's investigators. The penalty ends Aug. 23.
Pearl lead Tennessee to new heights, including six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight finish.
Pearl believes the Auburn job will attract a lot of interest.
"For me, I'm working at ESPN, I really enjoy what I'm doing, I've got a wonderful job with the HT Hackney company in private industry," Pearl said. "And because of my show-cause I obviously had to move forward with some other things in my life. With that said, basketball is still very much in my life. I miss the game, and so a lot is going to depend on timing, what's right, what's the right fit. And so over the course of this period this year we'll look and we'll see. We'll gauge what the interest is and we'll see what the fits are."
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Pearl said it has "obviously been a busy time" in his life, and spoke highly of Barbee's coaching ability.
Barbee was fired following a first-round exit in the SEC Tournament. He compiled an 18-54 record against SEC opponents during his four seasons on the Plains.
"He's a good coach," Pearl said. "He just could never quite get that roster to the point where it needed to be in the league and that just can happen. Yeah, Auburn is a great school and a great institution, great place. It's got history and tradition there and so obviously it's going to attract a lot of interest."
Pearl has not immediately returned messages left by AL.com.
Click here to listen to Pearl's appearance on The Roundtable.