Bruce Pearl has stepped down as the men's basketball coach at Auburn and will move into an ambassador's role in the athletic department as special assistant to the athletics director, the school announced Monday.

Steven Pearl, Pearl's son and the Tigers' associate head coach, received a five-year contract as the program's new head coach.

Bruce Pearl, 65, is coming off a season in which he guided Auburn to its second-ever Final Four appearance. The Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA men's tournament after winning the SEC regular-season championship, racking up 32 wins before falling to Florida in the national semifinal.

He has been the head coach at Auburn for 11 seasons, leading the Tigers to six NCAA tournament appearances and both of the program's Final Four runs. Duri

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