Auburn University men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl, who led his team to the NCAA Final Four earlier this month, is taking on a new role off the court — chairman of the board of directors for the pro-Israel nonprofit, U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA).
His new role comes after he used his team&#8217;s successful season to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote</a> the release of the 59 hostages still in Hamas captivity, including 21-year-old American Edan Alexander. Pearl will replace former Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019 and was the ranking member until 2021.
“I’ve dedicated much of my life to teaching young people about the importance of leadership, values, and understanding different perspectives,” Pearl said in a statement. “My work with USIEA aligns with those principles, and I’m excited to continue building a bridge of understanding between these two great nations.”
<div id="attachment_891963" style="width: 938px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-891963" class="size-large wp-image-891963" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg" alt="This photograph taken on January 21, 2025, shows a poster bearing a portrait of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. (Photo by AFP)" width="928" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg 928w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-300x186.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-768x477.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander.jpg 1000w" sizes=" (max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" />Israel-American Edan Alexander was taken hostage by Hamas during the terror group&#8217;s October 7, 2023, massacre. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Pearl led the Auburn Tigers to the program&#8217;s first-ever Final Four appearance and has been a <a href="https://auburntigers.com/staff/bruce-pearl">head coach</a> for 29 seasons, with his teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament 22 times.
He and his wife, Brandy, first became acquainted with USIEA when he went on the group’s 2019 Partners Tour to Israel, during which participants had high-level briefings on Israeli defense, artificial intelligence, and U.S.-Israel foreign policy.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-heats-up-ground-offensive-in-gaza-in-effort-to-pressure-hamas-to-return-hostages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISRAEL HEATS UP GROUND OFFENSIVE IN GAZA IN EFFORT TO PRESSURE HAMAS TO RETURN HOSTAGES</a>
“My experience in Israel was transformative,&#8221; Pearl said. &#8220;I felt it was my responsibility to become more involved in the mission of USIEA and educating senior government leaders in America on the importance of supporting Israel.” 
The 2025 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-ap-coach-of-year-1e4d079d3caaab71ad3d9d6848f6f7de">Associated Press</a> College Basketball Coach of the Year — an award he shared with St. John&#8217;s head coach, Rick Pitino — is expected to help USIEA educate and assist government leaders who are involved in advancing U.S.- Israel relations.
<div id="attachment_900387" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900387" class="size-large wp-image-900387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2207690199-864x576.jpg" alt="Bruce Pearl alongside the court while wearing his Auburn University sweater." width="864" height="576" />Auburn University men&#8217;s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has called for the release of 59 hostages held captive by Hamas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)d</div>
“Since Coach Pearl and Brandy’s involvement with USIEA, we’ve experienced significant growth and interest in our organization, benefiting from the respect and recognition he commands in both the sports world and the broader community,” USIEA Founder and CEO Heather Johnston said. “But most of all, we’ve been inspired by his generosity, passion for Israel, and unwavering commitment to our mission.”
Johnston added that Pearl’s commitment to Israel and love of America are “at the core of his personal beliefs, topics he frequently addresses in interviews.” 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-apologizes-for-inaction-after-students-antisemitic-abuser-pleads-guilty?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=University+Apologizes+For+Inaction+After+Student’s+Antisemitic+Abuser+Pleads+Guilty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNIVERSITY APOLOGIZES FOR INACTION AFTER STUDENT’S ANTISEMITIC ABUSER PLEADS GUILTY</a>
Pearl said he has shared his journey of advocating for Israel with his team, including having Auburn University become the first Division I basketball team to play against a professional Israeli team. Pearl described the game as “marking a historic moment in both college athletics and U.S.-Israel relations.”
Pearl, who has been wearing a “Bring Them Home” dog tag as a necklace, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?row=0&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened</a> a postgame press conference last month by drawing attention to Alexander. 
“I just felt compelled to say his name when I knew everybody was listening and have the discussion,” Pearl <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bruce-pearl-uses-final-four-spotlight-for-american-hostage-edan-alexander-nobody-knows-his-name?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bruce+Pearl+Uses+Final+Four+Spotlight+For+American+Hostage+Edan+Alexander%3A+%E2%80%98Nobody+Knows+His+Name%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire.</a>
“It just bothers me tremendously that people are gonna pay attention to a basketball coach winning a basketball game when we have an American held hostage in Gaza, named Edan Alexander, and nobody knows his name,” he added.
<div id="attachment_808863" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808863" class="size-large wp-image-808863" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg" alt="Edan Alexander with Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump at the grave of the leader of the Chabad Lubavitcher movement." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Edan Alexander&#8217;s family has met with leaders and influential people around the world, including President Donald Trump and Ben Shapiro. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)</div>
Edan was born in Rockville, Maryland, before moving to New Jersey. He joined the Israel Defense Forces after high school and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-american-held-by-hamas-adi-alexander-shares-sons-story-at-cpac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken captive during</a> Hamas’s October 7 massacre while at a small outpost by Kibbutz Nir Oz. He has been seen in Hamas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-teases-release-of-last-living-american-hostage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">propaganda videos</a>.
Pearl said that he hopes President Donald Trump is close to crafting a deal that will bring home the remaining hostages still in Hamas captivity.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yarden-bibas-describes-hamas-brutality-thanks-trump-in-first-interview-since-release?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yarden+Bibas+Describes+Hamas+Brutality%2C+Thanks+Trump+In+First+Interview+Since+Release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YARDEN BIBAS DESCRIBES HAMAS BRUTALITY, THANKS TRUMP IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RELEASE</a>
Following the remarks, Pearl was connected to Alexander’s father, Adi, and learned that his other son, Roy, was a basketball fan.
“He called me and told me just how much it meant to him,” Pearl recalled. “I said, ‘I’d just love to meet you, I don’t know what else I can do for you.’”
Pearl said he decided to bring him to a basketball game that weekend in Atlanta and invited the whole family as his guests.
“I just wanted to spend time with him and just to let him know that they’re not alone,” Pearl said. “There are so many, so many people, including so many American Jews that are praying for him and his family to bring his son home.”

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Star NCAA Coach Bruce Pearl Takes New Role In Pro-Israel Advocacy Group

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Star NCAA Coach Bruce Pearl Takes New Role In Pro-Israel Advocacy Group