It came as a shock on Sunday evening when news broke that Auburn had self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2020-21 men’s basketball season as a result of the violations committed by Chuck Person in the 2017 FBI scandal.
On Monday during an appearance on Tiger Talk, Bruce Pearl spoke on the news.
“It was a really difficult decision, but I think it was the right decision,” the head coach said. “The kids are disappointed, but it’s amazing how resilient they are. They understand. They’re going to focus on the regular season.”
The Tigers have a young but talented roster that might be missing its best player in Sharife Cooper. On Monday, it was reported that the 5-star point guard is still waiting to hear about his eligibility and that he is also considering going to a foreign league for the year.
Auburn starts the season on Thursday against Saint Joe’s in the Fort Myers Tip-off Classic.