Auburn Coach, Player Share Faith Before Final Four Game

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and player Dylan Cardwell shared their thoughts on how important their faith is to them during Friday’s press conference previewing today’s Final Four matchup with Florida in San Antonio.

Q. Dylan, how is the faith you’re able to be so open about?

DYLAN CARDWELL: The Lord is very, man, hands-on in how He authors your life. There’s a verse in Jeremiah that says, Before you were created in your mother’s womb, before you were formed, I knew you. Another verse in Jeremiah says, I know the plans I have for you, the plans that give you hope in the future.

As much as my journey has been up and down at Auburn, as frustrating, there was a time in my life where I questioned God on why He brought Bruce Pearl into my life. It’s just been so crazy to be patient and to see that Bruce Pearl is the most significant coach I’ll probably ever play for.

Like I said, he’s given me an example of how to carry myself. We never really had these conversations. We had a heart-to-heart last year that helped us become friends.

I want to give him his flowers now so he can still smell them. He showed me the road to be an Auburn man. He showed me it’s okay and admirable to be as open as you are about your faith. As you can see, he’s very open about his faith and the hostage situation going on in Israel. I just follow his example.

Everything that I feel and I have the heart for, the Lord is in my heart, I’m very open about it, open about the Lord, about my family.

But if it wasn’t for the Lord giving me Bruce Pearl as an example, I mean, I’d be like every player in the country playing basketball and only being an athlete. Shout-out to BP again.

BRUCE PEARL: I’m going to follow up with one thought.

I don’t know exactly where I learned this along the way. I think my wife Brandy helped me understand this.

One of the biggest ways you can hurt somebody’s feelings, not be mad at ’em, not be jealous of ’em, envious of ’em, angry at ’em, it’s to ignore them, ignore them.

I don’t want my players to ignore their father God. I don’t. I want them to visit with Him. I want them to be on to Him. He wants to be a part of their life, part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I remember growing up Jewish, there were a lot of things that we do in prayer that were holy. The bima was holy, Torah, scrolls were placed in a very holy place. We’d put a prayer shawl on and cover our head. It wasn’t the holy of holys, but it was very significant.

I grew up kind of thinking, Man, God is awfully busy. I just think I don’t want to bother Him. Brandy said to me, let me ask you a question. She said, If there was something that your father could do for you, but you didn’t want to ask him because you thought he was too busy, I’m talking about my dad. Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you ask me?

That’s what the Lord is. He just wants you to come to Him, wants to ask Him, wants you to visit with Him. That’s what I’ve tried to instill in the players.

Then have the courage of sharing their faith and also the respecting of other faiths, necessarily this not being the only way. That’s what we try to deal with.