"I’d be disingenuous if I said that we wouldn’t love to have that": Bruce Pearl gets real on Neville Arena's proposed renovations

With the rise of NIL, its funding has taken precedence over other projects, and Auburn and Bruce Pearl are no exception. Pearl addressed the shift on Monday when discussing Auburn’s decision to forgo building a new basketball practice facility in favor of $9 million in proposed renovations to Neville Arena.

“Would any basketball coach like to have a standalone, state-of-the-art basketball facility? Of course, I’d be disingenuous if I said that we wouldn’t love to have that,” Pearl admitted. “But when NIL came in at the same time that our new practice facility was approved — and I think it was even before John Cohen was the AD — I immediately looked at it and said, ‘We’ve got plans.’

“We were in the process of just finishing up football’s facility. We knew baseball renovation was coming. We knew that the stadium had some things that were coming, and I just looked at it all at that time when NIL first came out and said, ‘I just don’t think we can do this right now. Or whether we should do this right now because we’re going to need to fund our student-athletes in all sports.’”

Auburn initially approved plans for a new basketball practice facility in February 2022, but those plans were put on hold as the school prioritized NIL.

Bruce Pearl understands the reality of NIL today

Three years later, plans for the new facility have been abandoned, and instead, the Auburn Board of Trustees will vote on proposed renovations to Neville Arena on Friday. The project is estimated to cost $9 million, according to meeting documents.

The renovations, titled “Neville Arena – Team Support Improvements,” will update 22,500 square feet within the arena, featuring enhancements to the existing practice gym, upgrades to the scholarship lobby, and expanded team meeting and office spaces for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

Bruce Pearl also noted that asking donors and advertisers to contribute to NIL while also funding a new facility didn’t seem fair.

“I didn’t think it was fair for Auburn to rely on its donors and advertisers to participate in NIL, then ask them at the same time for a brand-new state-of-the-art practice facility,” he said.

According to the meeting documents, the renovations will be financed through the athletics department’s funds.