2026 Recruiting: - Caden Pierce (Transfer) potential interest | Page 16 | The Boneyard
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2026 Recruiting: Caden Pierce (Transfer) potential interest

No to both. Well yes to the second one if he wants to pay his own way next semester at UConn. Graduating from Princeton in May. He has 1 season of eligibility left and he said he's using it for next season.

With Nil I’m sure they could come up with enough to cover 1 semester room and board in addition to whatever else he will get.

So that leads to another ? Can he get NIL if he isn’t on scholarship? Walk on getting NIL?
 
Athletic Profile & Context
  • Strength & Size: At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Pierce is a strong player who uses his size effectively against bigger opponents in the post.
  • Agility and Speed: He is noted for being faster and more agile than many traditional big men, which allows him to create mismatches and generate rim pressure by driving from the perimeter.
  • Vertical Pop: He has a noticeable vertical ability ("vertical pop") that helps him play bigger than his height, particularly in rebounding and finishing at the rim.
  • Rebounding Prowess: His athleticism, combined with his basketball IQ and effort, makes him an excellent rebounder. He was the only underclassman in the nation in the 2023-24 season to average over 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal per game.
  • Versatility: Pierce's combination of athleticism, skill, and high basketball IQ makes him a versatile, multi-positional talent.

Chatgpt is probably not the best way to scout players
 
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“School is important, sports are importanter”!

Agreed!

At the risk of getting off topic, there are several countries, most of them Scandinavian, that emphasize recess, extended lunch, and "specials" as equal partners in educating their youth.
 
Comment notwithstanding, we are losing AK and Tarris from our front line. They are likely to be replaced with Reibe, who is an okay rebounder and not super athletic, and potentially this kid, who is also not very athletic. I'd love to see us get bigger and more athletic up front. We were destroyed by 'Zona (without Tarris) and Florida (with Tarris) on the boards. We were basically even with Texas and BYU, and I'm actually surprised to see we outrebounded Kansas and Illinois, although that's more due to their respective offensive ineptitude. The point is, I'd really love to see us get more athletic up front. We seem to always be the less athletic team. It's something Hurley talked about going into the offseason, and it really hasn't changed all that much.
To me Dan Hurley is in love with the 5 out offense. Nothing wrong with that but you have to have the talent that goes with it. A lot of 3 level scoring. He also loves super tenacious defense/rebounding. These are two idealistic views and it seems almost impossible to staff that combo unless you can get Jordan/Kobe/Wembanyeama type recruits. Something has to give one way or the other. We need a shotblocking rebounding guy (or two) to anchor the defense. Maybe the best bet is the deep bench level we have this year which compromises some of the ideals but has enough pieces to wear down opponents over 40 mins if they play like dawgs. He has to be a superb salesman to keep every Husky pulling his share of the sled load. I really think the staff is well on its way one game at a time to
pulling this off. I get the feeling they're in for a rock fight tonight with Motta and Co.
 
To me Dan Hurley is in love with the 5 out offense. Nothing wrong with that but you have to have the talent that goes with it. A lot of 3 level scoring. He also loves super tenacious defense/rebounding. These are two idealistic views and it seems almost impossible to staff that combo unless you can get Jordan/Kobe/Wembanyeama type recruits. Something has to give one way or the other. We need a shotblocking rebounding guy (or two) to anchor the defense. Maybe the best bet is the deep bench level we have this year which compromises some of the ideals but has enough pieces to wear down opponents over 40 mins if they play like dawgs. He has to be a superb salesman to keep every Husky pulling his share of the sled load. I really think the staff is well on its way one game at a time to
pulling this off. I get the feeling they're in for a rock fight tonight with Motta and Co.

We don't run a 5-out offense.
 
Agreed!

At the risk of getting off topic, there are several countries, most of them Scandinavian, that emphasize recess, extended lunch, and "specials" as equal partners in educating their youth.
What are specials?

I hope it isn't something that could land you on a registry of some sort.

Band, chorus, wood shop, metal shop, print shop, drafting, art, technology, health, gym, cooking, sewing ...

My middle school has cut six of the above, and we used to have inter school sports.
 
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What are specials?

I hope it isn't something that could land you on a registry of some sort.

Band, chorus, wood shop, metal shop, print shop, drafting, art, technology, health, gym, cooking, sewing ...

My middle school has cut six of the above.

Art, technology, gym, etc. are specials.

My middle school I work at only has band, chorus, gym/health, art and tech from the above. No money for anything else.
 
I'm on the fence with Pierce because he doesn't look to provide anything Jay Stew can't and obviously Jay Stew is a better athlete. Maybe stash him on the bench for depth.
i would be happy to have both stew and ross back but i dont want either starting next year. Pierce is looking like the AK replacement and Landrew is looking like the Mullins replacement.
 
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I'm on the fence with Pierce because he doesn't look to provide anything Jay Stew can't and obviously Jay Stew is a better athlete. Maybe stash him on the bench for depth.
At this point, jstew lacks consistency. He tends to disappear for significant stretches of games. He has all the tools and perhaps he is being asked to defer to others. His last few games have definitely been encouraging. Would like to see some back screen baskets similar to karaban. His defense is much improved this year.
 
Love this place.

We're gonna beat out Duke for a kid we're gonna stash on the bench for depth.
Just sharing what my eyes tell me. There's no guarantee he'll be anything at the next level. Maybe a starter, maybe not. Us and the Dukes of the world can bring in a guy like this and given our roster depth let things play out without any guarantees of PT. Do you think Hurley is going to guarantee PT? Evidence bringing in Demery and Smith at the same position and letting them play it out performance-wise... There's scores of guys that have leveled up (mid-major to P5) and sideways (within the P5) that have blossomed and scores of them that have been meh and scores of them that have bombed.
 
Haven't seen much tape on Caden-But from what I've read- He's a solid two-way player with a high BBIQ that has played in one of the most successful motion offenses in CBB. Strong match with our offense. Sounds like he has many of the same qualities as AK with the exception of Alex's 3 pt shooting proficiency. Danny and the staff like him as do other top CBB Programs. Don't see any downside. Max's and Cap Grille is a pretty strong culinary lineup leading up to tip-off.
 
At this point, jstew lacks consistency. He tends to disappear for significant stretches of games. He has all the tools and perhaps he is being asked to defer to others. His last few games have definitely been encouraging. Would like to see some back screen baskets similar to karaban. His defense is much improved this year.
It's going to very interesting what Jay Stew provides in the next 3 months. His ceiling is very high. I really hope he puts it all together. Jay Ross, too!!! If both of those guys can give us really solid 10 MPG, think of how we can keep foot on gas for a full 40!!!
 
He's just not a good enough shooter to excite me. It's a good body and I suppose smart etc but eh.
I agree - at the level we aim for, you gotta have a great BBIQ with either plus shooting ability and plus athleticism (preferably both). I just don't see the distance shooting ability from Pierce to convince me he'd be a starter.
 
Aiden was miscast by a coaching suffering from slightly inflated egos after winning 12 straight NCAA tournament games by silly margins. He likely would have done far better elsewhere.

The talent was there. The system fit was not.

My biggest question with Pierce is what does the staff have in mind for him? I don't doubt his talent, but he does seem a troubling fit in a championship-level starting lineup where he is playing 30 minutes a game at the 4. Personally, I don't think that is what is being offered.
IDK if system fit was wrong as much as position fit. Shooting guards hunt their own shot and point guards are better at quicker reads and decision makers for the team. Trying to shoe Maheney into a PG role in the Big East was just wrong. Malachi Smith is a pure point guard and assists to turnovers specialist with some shooting game. That was never Mahaney’s rap and no one saw Mahaney as the next Tristen Newton either.
 
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