Head Coach Pearl Shares About Edan Alexander

On the evening of March 22, Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl made above-the-fold news when he opened up his press conference following the top-seeded Tigers’ 82-70 victory over No. 9 Creighton in the second round of the NCAA tournament by advocating for the release of 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, the last living American held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

The timing was no coincidence – a week earlier Hamas had pledged to release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel would recommit to a paused ceasefire pact – but a sports figure wading into a strictly political issue literally minutes after a game ends is a rarity.

Last week, Pearl, who has been an outwardly devout Jew and supporter of Israel throughout his storied college basketball coaching career, spoke with the AJT about using his platform to deliver a call to action in light of Alexander’s recent return from captivity:

AJT: Was there anything about Alexander’s background that made you feel inclined to call for his release at the opening of the postgame presser? 
Pearl: No. I had no other connection. My only connection was that he’s Jewish, he’s American, he’s held hostage. Something that is sort of very common in our faith – it’s actually I think symbolized quite beautifully in a wedding ceremony – in the midst of your greatest joy, there are times we should remember others that aren’t in the same situation.
We just got done beating Creighton, and it’s a big win. I mean Creighton had been to four out of the last five Sweet Sixteens. That was definitely a potential 1-8 upset. We had a great win. I’m just sitting there in the halls of Rupp Arena with my three players [Tahaad Pettiford, Johni Broome, Denver Jones] and it’s almost like Dorothy and the “Wizard of Oz,” and we’re skipping down the Yellow Brick Road, just going to our press conference, knowing that we’re on to the Sweet Sixteen and we’re two wins from the Final Four. I’m just absolutely thanking G-d for the blessing. For no reason that I can explain, other than my faith, the name of Edan Alexander comes into my mind. While you’re happy, there are still Americans and there are still hostages that are suffocating in a tunnel because they were Israeli or because they were Jewish. And the world’s forgetting about them. And they don’t know their names. I wanted to start the press conference and remind everybody that while we are all so happy, we’ve got an American held hostage.

AJT: When news broke that Alexander was finally freed from Hamas captivity last month, how did you react? 
Pearl: I think it’s the same reaction as the wedding, the same reaction as my joy after winning. I was thrilled for his family, but I was angry. The day of his release I was angry because while there was one family celebrating – and certainly, in Judaism, one family, one joyous occasion, one joyous moment, we are all good, we are satisfied, we celebrate life – but I was angry because there were 58 others that were either dead or still held hostage. I don’t give Hamas an ounce of credit for releasing him. You get no credit whatsoever. So, I was happy, but I was also angry.

AJT: Over the past month, have you had a chance to connect with Alexander? 
Pearl: I talked to his father and his father has been wonderful, sending me pictures. But honestly, I want Edan to just recover. I’m actually happy to tell you that I have not talked to him, because we didn’t do this for publicity purposes. He is home. He’s with his family. I don’t want to take 30 seconds away from his recovery and his celebration with his family. I want to give them the space that they need.
I am absolutely certain that I will meet him one day. And I will meet him one day soon, I think. I will embrace him as a brother. What a courageous young American to love his country, but also to love his Jewish ancestral homeland and to be wanting to go serve for a few years. That was always actually a goal of mine before I got into coaching. That’s what I planned on doing and I didn’t do it. And this young man had the courage and the love of his ancestral homeland, the state of Israel, to be willing to do it. G-d watched over him and obviously saved him.”

AJT: You invited Alexander’s family to Auburn’s Sweet Sixteen game against Michigan at State Farm Arena. Were you able to spend any time with them that weekend? 
Pearl: The night before the game we had dinner. I got to spend time with Adi [Edan’s father] and Roy, Edan’s younger brother. It was very sweet. It was wonderful. Roy was like, “Coach, don’t you’ve got tape to watch and stuff like that?” And I’m like look, there’s an expression, it’s called, hay’s in the barn, it’s time to eat.
We had all week to get ready for Michigan. It was along the lines of “Guys, you’re not alone. There’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing I can say. There’s nothing I can do. Let’s just have a meal. I’d love to get to know you. Tell me more about your brother, your son. And we’re just praying with you.”
Adi talked to the team the day of the Michigan game. So, my players were very much aware of what we had done. They gave his father a chance to talk about his son, because he was talking to boys the same age as his son. You think about his message about life and taking advantage of the opportunities and not losing hope. It was a great message to my players.

AJT: Since the Oct. 7 attack, has your perspective on your profession changed at all? 
Pearl: No, it has not changed me or my perspective because I’ve been very, very aware. I have worked really hard through the U.S. Israel Education Association as well as Athletes for Israel to work in this space. I’ve always been very aware of two things. One, we’ve got to protect ourselves as Israelis, Jews, Americans against people that want to harm us or in fact want to kill us. There aren’t as many of them, but they’re out there. We see that now, on the streets of Washington, D.C., or Boulder, Colo., or the Governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania. We see it all the time. But at the same time, we have a responsibility as Jews. We were G-d’s chosen people for a reason. We’ve been around longer than anybody for a reason. With that, we’ve got to be the best versions of ourselves. We’ve got to be the kindest, the most patient, the hardest working, the most trustworthy, the most loyal, the most grateful, because we’re blessed.