“We have a lot of special guys here, and I need to be someone who can bring it out of them.” Jayden Pierre readies for a big sophomore season in Providence
It didn’t take Kim English long to appreciate the work ethic of the point guard Providence nearly lost in the spring.
Seemingly whenever English made his way through his new practice facility, he found a constant, “There’s always a ball bouncing, and most times it’s him.”
The Friar head coach was referring to Jayden Pierre, then a freshman who played sparingly behind veteran Jared Bynum last season, and now a second-year point guard being handed the keys to the program.
We only saw glimpses of Pierre’s potential during his freshman season at PC, a year in which he played 11 minutes per game, shot 54% from three, and finished with an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio (64 assists, 24 turnovers). Yet, a majority of his freshman year was spent waiting his turn, capped by an NCAA Tournament game against Kentucky in which Pierre saw the court for a mere two minutes.
Inexperience at point guard will be one of the biggest questions surrounding the Friars this season. Pierre and talented freshman Garwey Dual will take the reins and will need to produce instantly in what could be the toughest league in the country this season.
“You can’t be a good team in this league and not have a good point guard,” Pierre said. “I’m ready to attack the challenge head-on.”
Those most familiar with his game and how he arrived at Providence believe it.
Pierre was coached by a pair of men with Division 1 experience at both his high school and on his AAU team. Team Rio’s head coach Mike Rice led Robert Morris and Rutgers, while Long Island Lutheran’s John Buck played at Wake Forest and has coached dozens of D1 prospects.
Pierre was outstanding in his senior year at LuHi — a pass-first point guard with a knack for going on game-changing scoring spurts at the precise moment when his team needed it most.
He was MVP of the Arby’s Classic in Tennessee, an event in which his high school knocked off Berkmar out of Georgia, and as well as a Tampa Catholic team featuring five-star wing Karter Knox. Long Island Lutheran also overcame Villanova commit Brendan Hauser and Amarillo (TX). Pierre’s feel for the game was on display versus Berkmar, when after playing the role of facilitator, he ripped off six consecutive shots to close the first half and swing the momentum.
“He is a Big East point guard,” Buck said after the title game. “He is the ultimate player to steady the ship, the straw that stirs the drink. I can’t wait to watch him at Providence…I give him the ball and tell him to bring it back in 32 minutes. He’s awesome.”
Later that season Pierre outplayed McDonald’s All American point guard Arterio Morris in a 92-74 victory, and went viral with a dunk at the HoopHall Classic in front of Jayson Tatum.
He was equally effective the summer prior playing for Team Rio. Pierre had 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals in a win over five-star guard Caleb Foster and Team Curry, went for 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals versus a DC Premiere team with Justyn Fernandez and Christian Watson, and had 18 points and 10 assists against a terrific Run GMC team featuring Kansas commit Gradey Dick.
“Whatever the game calls for,” Pierre said in a conversation with Friar Basketball late in his senior season. “I feel like that’s what I try to bring to the table.”
Pierre entered his name in the transfer portal following the coaching change that took place in the spring. He went viral once again when English challenged him to a game of 1-1 with the stakes being his return to Friartown.
Pierre ultimately returned to PC (and no, not because of the result versus English) and his head coach has had nothing but high praise for the sophomore point guard, most notably comparing Pierre to Colorado great McKinley Wright — who English coached as an assistant in Boulder.
“The more and more I see Jayden, and I’m around him, the similarities to him and McKinley are almost scary,” English said.