Why Does Intense On Court Style Work for LSU's Will Wade, Auburn's Bruce Pearl?

It's hard to miss but take a gander at Will Wade and Bruce Pearl on the sidelines this evening. Two of the most fiery, energetic coaches in all of college basketball, to the outside eye Wade and Pearl might be at times too intense when watching on the sidelines.

For two coaches who have no issues with pulling their players aside and giving them a firm talking to during timeouts and in between breaks in action, it's an old school style not often seen in the college game. If not dealt with in a meticulous manner players who these days are more commonly one and done or in the transfer portal after a season, can be irritated by that style of coaching.

Numerous times this season senior forward Darius Days has described Wade and his sometimes on court intensity as "coach just being coach." But there's a method behind the madness and why Wade is so beloved by his players. And it starts with how much time off the court Wade takes with his players.

"You can coach them hard if you love them hard," Wade said. "If you don't love them hard and spend time with them, it's in one ear and out the other. I spend an inordinate amount of time off the court with our players and that's why it works.

"I tell them all that in recruiting, I'm gonna be there for you off the court, we're gonna talk about and do whatever we need to off the court. But we step between those lines, different world. I've got a job to do, you've got a job to do and we're all gonna do it at a high level. We're not gonna cut any corners."

Pearl is very much the same way with his players on and off the court. LSU and Auburn have had some electric back and forth games the last handful of seasons and a lot of it stems from very similar coaching styles.

When one of Wade's former VCU players Samir Doughty hit the transfer portal and was being pursued by Pearl and Auburn, Wade actually suggested that the fit would be great.

"I kind of told coach to take him and we had talked about it a lot," Wade said. "Samir loved playing for him and graduated from Auburn which is phenomenal. He does a great job of making sure he cares for them off the court and that's why he's able to coach them and knows it comes from winning. He wants to put them in position to be successful."

So when you watch Wade and Pearl shout and scream, see their faces turn bright red or maybe even stomp their feet on the court, know that it's coming from a place of trust with their players. And watch two elite, well prepared basketball programs square off for what should be an entertaining matchup.