Bruce Pearl sinks trick shot from upper level at Auburn Arena
Whether it was crashing a marketing lecture to promote Midnight Madness or agreeing to sit shirtless in a dunk tank for a fraternity's charity event, new Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has done some zany stuff to drum up interest in his program.
This week Pearl has found a new way to generate publicity: Participating in a trick shot video.
Alabama-based trick shot artists The Legendary Shots filmed a video at Auburn Arena that included a staged interruption from Pearl insisting that he wanted to show the crew how it's done. Pearl then hit a basket from the first row of the arena's upper level, punctuating his shot with an exuberant "War Damn Eagle!" Pearl also sank a second trick shot, though the hard part on that one was done by a guy holding a trampoline.
Being willing to enthusiastically participate in silly videos like this one is a big reason Auburn viewed Pearl as a perfect fit when it went in search of a coach who could rejuvenate its long-irrelevant basketball program.
He had the track record to suggest he could turn around a program that hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2009, hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2003 and hasn't produced an NBA draft pick since 2001. He also has the charisma to make fans care about basketball at a football-crazed school where more spring practice has traditionally garnered more attention than March Madness.
Pearl's tactics appear to be working so far as Auburn has already sold out every home game this season and has reeled in a highly touted recruiting class that will arrive next fall. The Tigers may endure some growing pains this season, however, as they fell 90-59 at Pac-12 contender Colorado earlier this week.
In its first two games this season, Auburn is shooting less than 30 percent from behind the arc. Judging from Pearl's performance in the video above, the master of self promotion also may be able to offer some long-range shooting tips.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
