Rumor: Bruce Pearl would take Indiana job 'today without any reservation'
Bruce Pearl would take the Indiana job "today without any reservation" if Mike Woodson were to be let go and the Hoosiers were to extend an offer to the former Southern Indiana and current Auburn head coach, according to Mid-Major Madness's Jordan Majewiski.
"Oodles of Bruce Pearl chatter around (Indiana) from very informed sources," Majewski wrote before saying in a separate tweet, "He would take it today without reservation from what I understand."
"Well from the IU side, they seem to know for a fact he’ll take the job, just one person needs to sign off on it. There’s a reason the Woody buyout clause is leaking. It’s very real and will happen if one key person signs off (and it’s not Scott Dolson)," Majewski would later add.
What adds interesting fuel to the fire is that ahead of the Tigers' 104-76 victory over Indiana at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta, Pearl told Hoosiers Now's Tom Brew that there was a point in his life where IU was his dream job.
"Indiana was my dream job, it really was,'' Pearl told Brew. "I love everything about Indiana basketball, really loved and admired Coach Knight as a young coach myself, and it's one of the great programs in America.
"The timing was never right, I suppose. I guess, what, I was at Tennessee and really enjoying that and I love Auburn now. So nothing ever really aligned, but it would have been a dream come true to coach Indiana. That's how much I love and respect that program.''
Bruce Pearl won't leave Auburn just yet
The timing doesn't feel right for Pearl to leave the Plains. While it's something that may well happen before it's all said and done in his coaching career, Pearl is closing in on the all-time record for wins at Auburn. Joel Eaves had 213 wins, while Pearl has 194 heading into March 5's matchup at Mizzou.
Leaving now wouldn't make sense, even if Woodson leaving could open up Pearl's dream job -- and it may be now or never if he ever wants to be a Hoosier.
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