Caden Pierce
View on WikipediaCaden Pierce is an American college basketball player who is currently in the transfer portal. He last played for the Princeton Tigers and was named the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year.
Key Information
Early life and high school career
[edit]Pierce grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and attended Glenbard West High School.[1] He averaged 12.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.2 steals, and 4.5 blocks per game as a senior as the Hilltoppers went 37–1 and won the Class 4A IHSA State Championship.[2] Pierce committed to playing college basketball for Princeton over offers from Loyola (Maryland) and St. Thomas (Minnesota).[3] He also played golf at Glenbard West and was an All-West Suburban Conference as a junior and senior.[4]
College career
[edit]Pierce entered his freshman season at Princeton as the Tigers' starting small forward.[5] He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.[6] Pierce led the Tigers with eight rebounds in the team's 59–55 upset win over 2-seed Arizona in the first round of the 2023 NCAA tournament and made two free throws at the end of the game.[7] He scored nine points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Princeton's second round 78–63 win over Missouri.[8] As a freshman, Pierce averaged 8.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game and won the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Princeton | 32 | 31 | 29.9 | .426 | .325 | .650 | 7.3 | 1.2 | .7 | .6 | 8.2 |
| 2023-24 | Princeton | 29 | 29 | 32.8 | .546 | .342 | .767 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 16.6 |
| 2024-25 | Princeton | 29 | 29 | 32.5 | .465 | .316 | .653 | 7.2 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 11.2 |
| 2025-26 | Princeton |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
Personal life
[edit]Both of Pierce's parents were athletes at Northwestern University, with his father playing football and his mother playing volleyball.[9][10] His older brother, Alec Pierce, plays wide receiver in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts.[11][12] Another brother, Justin, played college basketball at William & Mary and North Carolina and currently plays professionally in Europe.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Glenbard West Pierce's clutch baskets down stretch help Princeton stuns Arizona". Daily Herald. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ O’Brien, Michael (March 4, 2022). "2022 Chicago Sun-Times All-Area basketball team". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Henrickson, Joe (October 4, 2021). "Glenbard West's Caden Pierce commits to Princeton". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Boys Golf: Caden Pierce, power-packed Glenbard West lineup poised for a return trip to state". Shaw Local. August 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Freshmen Jack Scott, Caden Pierce add sparks to revamped Princeton men's basketball". Trentonian. November 30, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Franko, Kyle (March 13, 2023). "Princeton men's basketball's Ivy Rookie of the Year Caden Pierce is a star in the making". Trentonian. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Parker, Leonard (March 17, 2023). "March Madness: Princeton's Caden Pierce is brother of this NFL player". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Chicagoland to Princeton to Sweet 16? Blake Peters, Caden Pierce shining in the moment". Chicago Sun-Times. March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Serby, Steve (March 24, 2023). "Princeton freshman Caden Pierce just latest star in family of athletes". New York Post. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Pierce family's competitive nature runs deep". Daily Herald. May 27, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Brianna (March 16, 2023). "March Madness 2023: Twitter reacts to Princeton-Arizona upset". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Caden Pierce quickly becoming Princeton men's basketball's Mr. Consistency". Trentonian. December 9, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "Princeton men's basketball's Caden Pierce gobbles up another Ivy Rookie of the Week". Trentonian. January 24, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Keefer, Zak (December 14, 2022). "Colts rookie Alec Pierce aims high: 'That's either my football, or it's nobody's'". The Athletic. Retrieved March 20, 2023.