Justin Pierce – G/F, William and Mary
2018-19 notable statistics: 14.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 4.1 apg
Of the five names mentioned in this piece, William and Mary grad transfer Justin Pierce is the only one Wisconsin is known to have reached out to at this time.
It’s not difficult to see why the coaching staff is interested here. The 6’7 forward is a swiss army knife-type of a weapon and an ideal fit for the swing offense, capable of stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis with his ability to score, hold his own on the boards, and facilitate. Gard and company have got to be salivating at that versatility and Pierce’s ability to play and defend the 3, 4, and 5 positions for the Badgers.
However, Wisconsin will face steep competition here. According to a tweet from Jeff Goodman a couple of weeks ago, Pierce has heard from the likes of Arizona, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Northwestern, Illinois, Boston College, Stanford, USC, Michigan, Butler, Gonzaga, Georgia Tech, DePaul, Nevada, and Ole Miss. By now, I would imagine that the list has expanded.
There are undoubtedly some heavy hitters in that group of programs, but here’s to hoping Pierce is attracted by a Wisconsin sales pitch that includes a chance to be one of the top players on what should be an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, and at a school close enough to home that should make it easier for friends and family to come to watch him play (he’s a Glen Ellyn, IL native). I don’t know how important proximity to his hometown would be for Pierce, and Illinois, Notre Dame, DePaul, Northwestern are obviously relatively close as well, but unlike those teams, the Badgers seem to be a fairly reliable bet at the moment to make the Big Dance a year from now.