Is Illinois Basketball a Good Fit for Former Ivy League Player of the Year?

Pierce was part of the 2022 IHSA 4A state champion Glenbard West team that went 37-1 and whose entire starting lineup signed with Division I programs. The 6-foot-6 forward, who has started every game but one during over his three-year career at Princeton, was named the Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2023-24 after averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Pierce's stat line fell off a little bit last year (11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds), but his skills remain. A big wing and elite rebounder with range (0.9 threes on 34.2 percent shooting as a junior) and the ability to serve as a secondary distributor sounds like a player the Illini could use. Could the opportunity to return "home," play Big Ten basketball and make a deep NCAA Tournament run entice Pierce to close out his college career in Champaign?Obviously he has plenty of time before he will have to make a decision, but Pierce could be a main focus for Underwood once next year's transfer portal opens.

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