Caden Spencer Pierce is an American college basketball player for the Princeton Tigers who was named the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year.
 Pierce with Princeton in 2023 | |
| No. 3 – Princeton Tigers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | Ivy League |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Illinois) |
| College | Princeton (2022–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school career
editPierce 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
editPierce 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 |
Personal life
editBoth 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.