Fore the Children: Bruce Pearl golf tournament, Auburn basketball notebook

Fore the Children: Bruce Pearl golf tournament, Auburn basketball notebookFore the Children: Bruce Pearl golf tournament, Auburn basketball notebook
Wade Rackley

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – Sold out each year since its inception in 2014, Bruce Pearl's Fore the Children Golf Classic has now raised more than $1 million to provide scholarships for camp for children with chronic illnesses and their families.

"Everything we've been able to accomplish is because we've done it all together," Pearl said Monday at Willow Point Golf and Country Club on Lake Martin. "That's been a theme since we got here.

"When Brandy and I looked at Children's Harbor and we looked at the families that were impacted by it here at Lake Martin and up in Birmingham at the hospital, we said, 'What a great thing to be able to support.'"

With support from 120 golfers and lead sponsors Alabama Power and Russell Lands, along with Wells Fargo, BBVA Compass Bank and dinner sponsor Alfa Insurance, Pearl's sixth annual event will help provide pleasant memories for kids battling serious illnesses.

"It's not just them, it's their brothers and sisters [who] get to go to Children's Harbor for a week of camp, and because of the money we're able to raise, they get to go on scholarship," Pearl said. "And it's because of the generosity and the support of all the people here."

'They see where the program is going'

Fresh off Auburn's first Final Four appearance, Pearl updated reporters on recruiting, roster management and revised contracts for the Tigers' coaching staff.

"When the season ended, we felt like we were behind in recruiting," he said. "We were working for three or four more weeks than most people. As soon as the season ended, we went out until about May 3. The whole month of April, we were scrambling a little bit.

"With losing three really good seniors in Malik, Horace and Bryce, we were prepared for that, but not as prepared for both Jared and Chuma to go into the draft, and really, both have a great shot at staying in the draft. It's not over until it's over in June, but our feeling is we're preparing to go without them and they've both done really well in different ways.

"We've got a great solid base for 2020 because we knew we were going to have unbelievable opportunity, because we're going to be graduating three to five this year, and then five next year. It'll be a whole new group coming in 2020. We are in on some great kids because they know that we're going to have opportunity and they see where the program is going."

'Champagne taste'

Last summer, Pearl signed J'Von McCormick, a late roster addition that paid handsome dividends during Auburn's unbeaten March.

Auburn will be equally discerning this summer, Pearl said, when considering whether to bring in a transfer guard, if Jared Harper remains in the NBA Draft.

"I just think the way J'Von McCormick ended last season, he's earned the right for me not to bring in say a grad transfer at pure point guard. That doesn't mean that we couldn't bring in somebody that could combo and can score. I've got champagne taste. I'm not going to bring in somebody who can't help us get there."

'Plenty left in the tank'

Last month, Pearl signed a new five-year contract that will keep him on the Plains through the 2023-24 season, while providing raises for his assistant coaches.

"We were rewarded because we were able to be competitive," said Pearl, noting that he ranks third in the SEC in tenure at his university behind Kentucky's John Calipari and South Carolina's Frank Martin.

"The connection with us and the community is real. You don't work this hard to try to establish yourself and build some trust and credibility and then just give it up and let somebody else walk into it and leave it. That's just not how I roll. It's not how I'm built.

"I hope this is my last college coaching job, at Auburn. I've got plenty left in the tank, so we're just going to continue to be competitive."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer