Seemingly all at once, the Friars lost two previous commits, Drew Fielder of the 2023, class and Kayvaun Mulready of the 2024 class, and had their Freshman point guard enter into the transfer portal. Jayden Pierre handled the backup point guard duties this past season and showing flashes of a very high ceiling in the future once he gets a chance to be on the floor some more.
Pierre only averaged 11.0 minutes per game when he probably should have been playing closer to 20, especially with the early season struggles and midseason injuries of Jared Bynum. Of course, Coach Cooley refused to change his coaching philosophy of thinking Freshman are “gross” and instead 8 minutes a game in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off games versus Miami and St. Louis despite him putting up the following line in the previous game (just the 3rd game in his career): 10 points on 4/5 shooting including 2/2 from three, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 rebound in 24 minutes of action. He never reached 24 minutes of playing time in any game the rest of the season. In fact, Pierre played just under 7 minutes a game over the last 12 games of the season, and that’s including an overtime game against Xavier and a double-overtime game against Creighton.
Pierre shot the ball from deep much better than I was anticipating going into the season, hitting 12/22 three-pointers, good for a team-best 54.5%. From his highlights coming out of high school, I was expecting much more of a Kris Dunn type of offensive game, driving with speed and creating space with his athleticism to shoot over defenders. I was really amazed by how well he shot the ball and his confidence in doing so right from the beginning of the season. But also, he can do this…
Pierre averaged 2.5 ppg, 1.9 apg, & 1.0 rpg but the underlying numbers are there to support that he can contribute at a much higher level if given the opportunity.
He shot 42.7% from the floor, 54.5% from three, and 80.0% from the line. Not only that, but he a menace on the defensive end with his length and speed. I know that he’s already entered the transfer portal but boy, oh boy, would I love for Pierre to end up back in Friartown.
Or is he in the portal…
Isn’t it refreshing to have a young, energetic coach who can ball out, actually use social media, and bust balls with his guys? I feel like that will go a long way in recruiting in the future.
The Morning Hangover 