Oklahoma State University Athletics
Butch Pierre
November 20, 2008 | Cowboy Basketball
One of the elite assistant coaches and recruiters in college basketball, Pierre spent 11 seasons at LSU, including six as the associate head coach. He has been called “one of the top assistants in the nation” and certainly every year he has added to that reputation. Noted ESPN commentator Dick Vitale listed Pierre as one of his “Top Six” head coaching prospects among college assistant coaches.
Pierre has recruited and played a key role in the player development of such talents as Tyrus Thomas, the fourth overall lottery selection in the 2006 NBA Draft. Others include Stromile Swift, the second overall lottery pick in 2000, along with NBA players Ronald Dupree, Brandon Bass of the Dallas Mavericks, Glen Davis of the NBA Champion Boston Celtics, and former NBA player Jabari Smith.
Under Pierre, Swift, Bass and Davis all earned SEC Player of the Year, while during his tenure, four players received SEC Freshman of the Year honors and one was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Pierre is recognized by his peers in the industry as a relentless, innovative and extremely successful recruiter. His work ethic and attention to detail is what people have seen everywhere he has worked. At LSU, it helped him land four McDonald's and nine Parade prep All-Americans, seven junior college All-Americans and two player who earned national junior college Player of the Year honors.
He also works with the student-athletes to build their abilities in the classroom and those efforts have led to the graduation of 18 former players.
Pierre is also instrumental in practice planning and on-the-court practice drills with the team and spends countless hours in his office not only working on recruiting, but studying videos of practice and games, looking for things that can be improved upon. His superior technical basketball knowledge is used in practices and he also assists with the implementation of the Cowboys' defensive schemes and philosophy.
Pierre has made a mark in coaching everywhere he has set up shop. He has also built and established a reputation throughout the country of turning losing into winning at each institution he has worked at throughout his career. Following a two-year stint at Kentucky State University (1986-88) where the school posted its first winning season in seven years, Pierre returned to the state of Louisiana at Louisiana-Lafayette, joining the Ragin' Cajuns prior to the 1988-89 season. In his eight-year career there, his team won two Sun Belt championships and played in two NCAA Tournaments.
More than a dozen of his players went on to play professionally and he was elevated to the top assistants' position in his second season on the Cajun staff.
Pierre left south Louisiana to go to Charlotte for the 1996-97 season where he served for one season, putting together a top-10 recruiting class before heading to LSU. In his lone season with Charlotte, the 49ers won the division and defeated Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The next season, Pierre took an assistant coaching position at LSU where he spent the past 11 years. He joined John Brady's staff prior to the 1997-98 season. Three years later during the 1999-2000 season, the Tigers compiled a 28-6 record, including a 12-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference, won the SEC regular-season title and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
In 2002, Pierre was recognized as a key component of LSU's success and was promoted to associated head coach of the Tiger program. The following season, LSU made its second NCAA Tournament appearance under Brady. During the course of the 2002-03 season, the Tigers defeated top-ranked Arizona 66-65 in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers returned to the NCAA Tournament two years later as they won the SEC Western Division with a 12-4 conference record. A slim, one-point loss to fourth-ranked Kentucky knocked LSU out of the SEC Tournament and the Tigers went into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed.
The following season was the most impressive in two decades in Baton Rouge. The Tigers began the season with a 9-4 record, including a one-point loss at No. 2 Connecticut on Jan. 7. Two months later, LSU was crowned SEC Champion with a 14-2 league mark.
The Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed in the Atlanta Regional. They blew past their first- and second-round opponents, and defeated top-ranked Duke 62-54 in the Sweet 16. A 70-60 overtime win against No. 2 seed Texas sent LSU into the Final Four in Indianapolis, where the Tigers lost to UCLA in the national semifinals.
Last season, Pierre took over as interim head coach after Brady was fired. He led a depleted LSU squad to a 5-5 mark over the final 10 games after the Tigers began the season 8-13.
Pierre received his bachelor's degree in education in 1984 and his master's of education degree in 1986, both from Mississippi State. It has been Coach Pierre's passion and mission to insure that every student-athlete he has recruited works diligently to complete his degree prior to his departure from the university. While successful in recruiting All-American athletes, he has seen these athletes have extraordinary athletic success and most of them have matriculated at their various institutions.
A native of Darrow, La., Pierre was a prep and SEC standout in his playing days. At St. Amant High School, he was a prep All-American and the school retired his jersey in 1980. Pierre started four seasons as a point guard for Mississippi State.
Butch and his wife, Clemmie, are parents of a daughter, Langley, and twin sons, Joseph III and Josh.
Personal Information
Birthdate — Oct. 4, 1962
Family — married to Clemmie (married June 4, 1988); daughter Langley (March 22, 1991), twin sons Joseph III and Josh (Dec. 1, 1992)
Education — bachelor's degree in education from Mississippi State (1984); master's degree in education from Mississippi State (1986)
Professional Information
Graduate Assistant, Mississippi State (1984-86)
Assistant Coach, Kentucky State (1986-88)
Assistant Coach, Louisiana-Lafayette (1988-89)
Assistant Head Coach, Louisiana-Lafayette (1989-96)
Assistant Coach, UNC-Charlotte (1996-97)
Assistant Coach, LSU (1997-2002)
Associate Head Coach, LSU (2002-08)
Interim Head Coach, LSU (2008)
Assistant Coach, Oklahoma State (2008-present)
