Caden Pierce
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caden Pierce is an American college basketball player who has committed his final year of eligibility to play for the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2026-27 season. He last played for the Princeton Tigers and 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 | |
| |
Early life and high school career
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
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. He entered the transfer portal and chose Purdue University. He will be a redshirt in the 2026-2027 season.
Career statistics
| 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
Personal life
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]