Latest news with #BrucePearl
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tahaad Pettiford withdraws from NBA Draft, will return to Auburn after Final Four run
Bruce Pearl has a key piece returning next fall after all. Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the Tigers next season instead, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Tuesday. 'I was happy to go through the process, getting feedback from NBA teams,' Pettiford told ESPN . 'Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn't 100% this year, so I didn't want to take that chance. Being a short guard, it won't be easy to play in the league, but I know I can do it. It's maybe not the right time.' Advertisement Pettiford shined at the draft combine and worked out with six different teams while testing the waters. The goal, though, was reportedly to ensure that he'd be a first-round pick. Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor had Pettiford going No. 30 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in his latest mock draft, so that doesn't leave Pettiford any room for error whatsoever. So instead, Pettiford will return to Auburn for his sophomore season, where a 'robust' NIL package is waiting for him, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander . Specifics of that deal aren't known. Pettiford will then be a projected first-round pick in the 2026 draft. Advertisement Pettiford, who will turn 20 this summer, averaged 11.6 points and three assists in nearly 23 minutes per game last season with the Tigers. He earned a spot on the SEC's All-Freshman Team, and he helped lead the team to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers went 32-6 last season and reached the Final Four, though they fell to eventual national champion Florida in the semifinal. Pettiford is the only key player from last year's group to return to Auburn. The school has landed several notable pieces in the transfer portal, however, including UCF forward Keyshawn Hall, Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy and Texas Tech guard Kevin Overton. Auburn also landed forward Filip Jovic out of Serbia on Wednesday, too. The first round of the NBA Draft is set for June 25. The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to college is on Wednesday night.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Auburn's Bruce Pearl mourns loss of 2 Israeli Embassy staffers following killings after Jewish museum event
Bruce Pearl, the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team and chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association, mourned the killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers after a Capital Jewish Museum event on Wednesday night. Pearl appeared on OutKick's "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" and said he was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night talking about Jewish Heritage Month before the shooting occurred. "There's a tremendous rise in antisemitism. We're going to overcome it," Pearl said. "This was just a young couple, two diplomats just getting ready to start their life. The young man had a ring and was just getting ready to ask this beautiful girl to marry him and start a family. And that's all gone right now because of, quite frankly, just the lies. Just the lies and incredibly awful propaganda." Pearl said he believed that when anti-Israel agitators march in the streets or college campuses and chant "free Palestine," it really meant that they want to free it from Jewish people. "When they say, 'free Palestine' – what they mean is free Palestine of the Jews. Free Palestine of your friend coach, Bruce Pearl. … That's what this is all about," he said. "If you were to sit there and call for an intifada or if you were going to be calling for the death to the Jews, just replace the Jews with the word 'Christians' or 'Blacks' or 'women' or anybody, where in the world do you get to get out there on a street … I believe in free speech so you know what, you get to do that here in this country. But we got to take them seriously now. We got to take them at their word. Just terrible to see that tragedy in D.C. last night." Pearl lamented the "lies" being told about Israel – whether it was on college campuses or in the media. However, the college basketball coach did not think the shooting would be a tipping point for those protesting against Israel. "I don't know that it can. I don't know that we're at a tipping point at this right now. In three days, it'll be over, and we'll be on to whatever is next," Pearl said." You go to Washington, D.C., and you got Jewish congressmen and senators that are Democrats that are gonna take a certain position and a certain side of things because politically we're lining up in such opposition – we're Americans! And it's fine that we got different ways of looking at things, but no, I don't see this thing changing very much." Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, both worked at the embassy and were about to be engaged before they were shot and killed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter. Washington, D.C. police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who was taken into custody after the shooting attack. He was allegedly seen pacing outside the museum before he approached a group of four people, including the two victims, and opened fire. Rodriguez then reportedly went into the museum where he was detained by security. He allegedly shouted "Free, free Palestine!" while in custody. The NFL's Washington Commanders were among those who condemned antisemitism. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic murders of two young Israeli diplomats outside the Capital Jewish Museum," the team said. "Antisemitism and hate have no place in our society, and we join the entire DMV in offering our thoughts and prayers to the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgri. May their memories be a blessing." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA mock draft: Tahaad Pettiford rises, Johni Broome drops in latest mock from ESPN
The NBA draft stock of Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford continues to rise ahead of his impactful decision. Pettiford produced a stellar output during his stay at the NBA draft combine last week, which caught the eye of several NBA scouts. Now that the dust from the combine has settled, ESPN has released its latest NBA mock draft, which bumps Pettiford to No. 37 overall, up two spots from their last mock released post-NBA lottery. In this mock draft, Pettiford is projected to land with the Detroit Pistons in the second round. Advertisement Although he continues to climb in the mock drafts, Pettiford is still a few slots away from considering an exit from Auburn. During a fundraising event in Montgomery last week, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl discussed Pettiford's great combine performance and what it would take for him to bolt for the NBA. "If Tahaad has a first-round contract, I think he's going to go — and he should go," Pearl said. "He won't leave unless he's in a really good spot." Pearl went on to say that Pettiford will have an increased role with the team next season should he return. On the flipside, as Pettiford's NBA stock rises, another player's drops. In the latest mock, Auburn forward Johni Broome slipped from No. 37 overall to No. 45. He is now projected to be drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round after being projected to be taken by the Detroit Pistons at No. 37 overall last week. According to Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express, Broome posted 6'9 ¼" barefoot, 249.4 lbs with a 7'0 ¼" wingspan and 9'0 ½" standing reach measurements at the combine. Advertisement Pettiford has until May 28 to stay in the NBA draft mix, or to withdraw and return to Auburn. The NBA draft begins Wednesday, June 25. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__ This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Tahaad Pettiford, Johni Broome status in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn close to acquiring international prospect in transfer portal
Auburn close to acquiring international prospect in transfer portal The Auburn Tigers are reportedly close to adding another key piece to next season's basketball roster. Head coach Bruce Pearl, who has already worked hard to add a myriad of talent from the transfer portal this offseason, recently told the media the Tigers were close to signing an international prospect to the roster. Pearl added, "We don't have the t's crossed and the i's dotted, so we're working on that." While it is hard to speculate who the player would be, many recent reports have surfaced around Auburn's interest in Serbian forward Flip Jovic. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 12.2 points and 3.9 rebounds across just over 22 minutes per game with KK Mega Bemax last season, showing he would have the abilities needed to find points in the SEC. Coach Pearl hasn't been hesitant when discussing his wishes to add another front court option before next season's preparations begin either. After losing Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, and Chris Moore to graduation, the Tigers have added freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams, along with transfers KeShawn Murphy and Emeka Opurum to the front court. Former UCF forward Keyshawn Hall could be an option in the front court next season if needed, although his 6-foot-7 frame tends to lend itself more to the small forward position. Adding another starting-caliber big to the rotation would allow Pearl to slot Hall in as a scoring, combo-forward, which could resemble the role Chad Baker-Mazara played for two seasons on the Plains. It's possible news regarding about adding another forward in the portal could drop any day now. At least by Bruce Pearl's comments, it seems another commitment is all but a formality at this point. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruce Pearl 'confident' Auburn basketball will fill final 2025-26 roster need
AUBURN — If it's no easy to task for a team to make to a Final Four, then replacing nearly the entirety of that squad's roster in a single offseason can't be any easier. One month and 11 days after their trip to San Antonio ended, Bruce Pearl and his Auburn basketball staff have nearly done both. Advertisement Between the transfer portal and eligibility expiration, 11 players left the program after the 2024-25 season. But the Tigers have added six transfers from three different levels to go with a three-man signing class. They could also have a lone returnee in Tahaad Pettiford, who's still eligible to withdraw from the NBA draft process. But there's a final piece Auburn is after. It'd like another big man after losing All-American Johni Broome and longtime Tiger Dylan Cardwell. Pearl said Thursday at the Jimmy Rane Foundation's annual fundraiser banquet in Montgomery he's "confident" Auburn will land one. "We think we've got an opportunity," Pearl said. "I think we're one more big away from having our roster complete." This offseason has swirled chaotically for Auburn, with several Tigers out of eligibility, and the few who had some heading elsewhere. Advertisement Pettiford has already stated he'd solely return to college at Auburn, but fellow freshman Jahki Howard transferred to Utah. Chad Baker-Mazara, who Pearl said had remaining eligibility, ultimately hit the portal, too, picking USC. However, Auburn's gains out-weigh its losses. From the Division I level, it has added Big 12 leading scorer Keyshawn Hall from UCF; an NCAA Tournament veteran in Kevin Overton, who played at Drake and Texas Tech; and KeShawn Murphy, who grew to frontcourt size at Mississippi State. Beyond them, Auburn has again scoured the Division II and junior college ranks for talent, adding DII standout Elyjah Freeman, and 7-footer Emeka Opurum alongside Abdul Bashir from JUCO, the latter of which led the country in scoring. Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Will Auburn basketball add another big man? What Bruce Pearl said.
