An accomplished and decorated coach for more than 20 years winning 10 state high school basketball championships, Chad Prewett was elevated to assistant coach on Aug. 2, 2023. He is in his 10th overall season on Head Coach Bruce Pearl’s staff.
Since joining the program in June 2014, Prewett has served in a variety of roles including special assistant, interim assistant coach and director of operations.
Auburn most recently captured its fourth all-time Southeastern Conference regular-season crown, earned its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and turned in the third most wins in school history with a 28-6 overall record in 2021-22. Two players - Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler - garnered All-America honors and became the program’s first-ever National Freshman of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year respectively. Both were later drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft (No. 3 and No. 22 overall).
During Auburn’s historic run to the Final Four in 2018-19, the Tigers became the only team to defeat Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina - the three winningest programs in NCAA history - in consecutive games in NCAA Tournament history. The Tigers became the first team from the state of Alabama to reach the Final Four during the 2018-19 season, which also included a Southeastern Conference Tournament crown and a 30-10 record.
Auburn won the 2018 Southeastern Conference title, its third in program history, behind a 26-8 record, including 13-3 in league play. The Tigers also make their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance all-time and defeated College of Charleston in the first round.
While serving as an assistant coach, Prewett primarily worked with the team’s guards and played a key role in the development of the All-SEC backcourt of Bryce Brown, Jared Harper and Mustapha Heron. Brown was a Naismith Trophy Top 30 honoree and became the 36th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Prewett also had a hand in scouting opponents and was tasked with running Auburn’s zone defense.
He returned to his role as director of basketball operations prior to the 2018-19 season, a role in which he held for a few months following the 2017 season. Prewett earned the promotion following three seasons as the special assistant to Pearl after joining the program in June 2014.
Prewett handles the team’s budget and travel, while spearheading numerous fundraising campaigns and events for the basketball program and Coach Pearl.
He is heavily involved with the Pearl’s AUTLIVE initiative to benefit cancer patients in the fight to beat cancer as well as the Bruce Pearl Fore the Children Golf Classic and Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic. He directs all of the Bruce Pearl Basketball Camps.
Prewett also offers support in the Auburn Tip-Off Club, which resumed activities in 2014-15 following a two-year break and saw the highest participation in club history.
Prewett joined the staff following a seven-year run at Lee-Scott Academy, which began in 2007, as both the boys and girls basketball and track coach. He led the varsity boys basketball team to the 2012 AISA State Championship, a runner-up finish in 2011 and the Final Four in 2009 and 2010. Over the years, the Lee-Scott boys teams went 139-31. On the girls side, he led the program to four AISA State Championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), a runner-up finish in 2014 and the Final Four in 2008 and 2010.
Five times he was named the AISA All-Star Game Coach, he was the 2009 AISA Coach of the Year and the OA News Coach of the Year four times (2012 - boys; 2008, 2009, 2011 - girls). He also coached the AISA Track State Champions in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Prior to Lee-Scott, Prewett was the varsity boys basketball and track coach at Faith Academy in Mobile from 2004-07. He led the boys basketball team to the 2006 AISA State Championship, the 2005 Final Four and was the 2006 AISA All-Star Game Coach and Coach of the Year. He led Faith Academy to a 63-21 record.
Prewett started his coaching career at Escambia Academy. From 1995-2004, he was a coach for the basketball, football, golf and track teams and added the title of athletics director from 1998-2004. Escambia was awarded the AISA Chairman's Award for Outstanding Program in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Prewett earned his bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation from Troy State University in 1994 and a master's degree in foundations of education in 2000. He and his wife, Tonya, have three daughters: Madison (son-in-law Grant Troutt), Mallory and Mary Mykal.