SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and senior All-American forward/center Johni Broome were the recipients of the top NCAA Division I coach and player awards from the 2024-25 season, as voted on by National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)-member coaches across NCAA Division I.
Pearl was voted as the NABC Division I Coach of the Year and Broome selected as the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year. The first head coach and player to be honored with such awards from Auburn.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg earned both the NABC Division I Player of the Year award and NABC Freshman of the Year presented by adidas honors, while Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
Pearl has led Auburn to a 32-5 overall record and a spot in the Final Four – his second Final Four appearance with the school. The Tigers won the SEC regular season title with a 15-3 league record and earned the No. 1 overall tournament seed in this year’s Big Dance.
He was previously named the NABC Division II Coach of the Year while at Southern Indiana in 1995, making him just the second head coach ever to be honored as both the NABC Division I and II Coach of the Year along with Hall of Famer John Chaney in 1978 (NABC Division II) and 1988 (NABC Division I).
The four-time SEC Coach of the Year is one of eight league head coaches to take a school to two-or-more NCAA Final Fours behind Adolph Rupp (6), Billy Donovan (4), John Calipari (4), Joe B. Hall (3), Rick Pitino (3), Nolan Richardson (2) and Dale Brown (2).
Pearl (2025) joins Cliff Ellis (1999) as the only two coaches in program history to earn national coach of the year honors from either the NABC or national media outlet. He was previously named Sporting News Coach of the Year during his time at Tennessee in 2006.
Broome has averaged a double-double this season – 18.7 points and 10.9 – along with 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. His strong play kept Auburn atop the national rankings for much of the season including a school-record eight-consecutive weeks at No. 1. Broome’s 25 points and 14 rebounds in Sunday’s South Regional Final led the Tigers to the Final Four this week in San Antonio.
2024-25 NABC DIVISION I COACH AND PLAYER AWARDS
NABC Division I Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Auburn
NABC Division I Player of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Duke
NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year: Johni Broome, Auburn
NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
NABC Freshman of the Year presented by adidas: Cooper Flagg, Duke