Four-star senior Braden Pierce updates his recruitment

During his sophomore season, 7-footer and 230-pound center Braden Pierce was focused on becoming a star baseball pitcher. Until one day, the late-rising IMG Academy senior shifted his focus to the basketball court where he has now become a hot commodity.

Pierce was playing basketball in Georgia last year until making the move to attend the prestigious IMG Academy, where he will star on their post-grad team.

He views himself as a guy who can be more than just a dominant force with his obvious size in the paint. Pierce knows he can step out and play a stretch-five role if need be, in addition, he has some pop in the mid-range, and his long wingspan and size cause obvious issues in the paint.

Part of the reason he’s blossomed late is, one well his development, and two his ceiling is super high, especially after this one year of strictly developing and playing against high-level competition before heading to the college level.

He talked about his growing recruitment with Stockrisers.com.

Which schools are heavily involved right now?

“Right now it’s Utah, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and Cincinnati that have been contacting me the most.”

Any newer schools?

“All of those schools are pretty new for me, so not really.”

What are your thoughts on Virginia and your relationship with Coach Bennett?

“I think Virginia would be a great fit for me. With one of the best coaching staff in the country, I would get a great chance to continue developing, and academically it's hard to beat as well. I’ve only been talking to an assistant for the last few weeks and haven’t talked to Coach Bennett yet, but I look forward to building my relationship with them throughout the season.”

How about Cincinnati?

“Coach Dollar came to see me at my game the other day. I talked to him after the game and he really liked the way I played and he was going to talk to Coach Miller about what he saw.”

Mizzou?

“Coach Nutt came to my game last Tuesday, so I talked to him then and then spoke with him again last night. I think the SEC would be a good fit for me and I like that they have a new staff there. He said that he will set up a zoom call with me and my family this week to meet Coach Gates.”

Any visits?

“Don’t have any set yet, looking to set up a couple soon.”

And you’ll sign in the late period, correct?

“I think the best part of my game is my defending at the rim, and being a great shot-blocker. On offense, I feel confident that I can score in the post every time I catch it, but I’m also a really good passer out of it too. I really just came to IMG to get stronger and improve on my perimeter game to help translate to the college level.”

How will your game fit at the college level?

“I feel like my game fits very well at the college level because I can play outside and inside on offense and really defend the paint and even out the perimeter on defense.”