Former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be in Huntsville next week for a program focused on substance abuse, mental health and some of the challenges young people face.
Game Plan For Success is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The free event is open to students in sixth through 12th grade and their parents, with registration required.
The program is being hosted by Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy Center for Opioid Research, Education, and Outreach, or COACH.
Pearl coached Auburn from 2014-25, leading the Tigers to two Final Fours. He stepped down as head coach last year and now serves Auburn Athletics in an ambassador role.
His portion of the Huntsville program will draw from his years coaching college athletes, including some of the struggles his players faced away from basketball.
“I’m going to talk about how we built a champion with Auburn basketball,” Pearl said. “What are the things our student athletes did to be great. We’re going to talk about some of the challenges that my young student athletes faced, anxiety and depression, and the pressure to do drugs and do things that would do damage to them.”
Pearl will be joined by Dr. Dave Anderson of the Child Mind Institute and members of COMPACT 2020, a Shelby County youth substance abuse prevention task force.
Anderson works with children and adolescents dealing with ADHD, behavior disorders, anxiety and mood disorders. His work also includes efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and learning disorders.
COMPACT 2020 brings together law enforcement agencies and other community partners to focus on substance abuse prevention, intervention and education.
Dr. Haley Phillippe, a clinical professor with Auburn’s Harrison College of Pharmacy and clinical pharmacist at UAB-Huntsville, is one of the organizers of the Huntsville event.
“Middle and high school years are critical periods when young people are making important decisions, developing lifelong habits, and facing increasing pressures from peers, social media and everyday challenges,” Phillippe said.
The goal, she said, is to give students and families information about substance misuse and mental health before a crisis occurs.
“Every young person has the ability to create a successful future, and the choices they make today matter,” Phillippe said.
The event is intended for students in sixth through 12th grade and their parents. Because of the subject matter, organizers say it is not appropriate for children in fifth grade or younger.
Families with younger children can attend designated activities with speakers in a separate area, but an adult must remain with them at all times.
The event is free, but registration is required. Students and parents can register through Auburn’s COACH program at auburncoach.org/events.
Zachary Austin is a writer for 256 Today. You can contact him at [email protected].
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