Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Basketball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
It's not hard to know where the best high school players have been the last decade. Just look no farther than the travel itinerary of coach Butch Pierre hot on the recruiting trail. He secured one of the top recruiting classes in the country in 2009, ranked as high as No. 4 by HoopScoopOnline.com. He was also instrumental in securing a pair of McDonald's All-Americans on the Cowboy Basketball squad.
Pierre was a key factor in Oklahoma State's resurgence to the national spotlight by helping return the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the second round in 2009. The 2010 NCAA Tournament appearance marked the ninth time in his tenure that a team he's coached for has made the Big Dance.
Prior to OSU, Pierre spent 11 seasons at LSU, including six as the associate head coach. One of the elite assistant coaches and recruiters in college basketball, he has been called "one of the top assistants in the nation".
Pierre has recruited and played a key role in player development at every stop he's coached. He's coached such talents as Tyrus Thomas, the fourth overall lottery selection in the 2006 NBA Draft. Former Pierre players who are currently in the NBA are: Anthony Randolph (14th overall pick of the 2008 NBA draft and currently with the Minnesota Timberwolves), Glen "Big Baby" Davis (Boston Celtics), Marcus Thornton (Sacramento Kings), Chris Johnson (Portland Trailblazers), Brandon Bass (Orlando Magic) and Garrett Temple (Charlotte Bobcats). Others former Pierre players who made it in the NBA include: Stromile Swift, the second overall lottery pick in 2000, Ronald Dupree and Jabari Smith.
Under Pierre, Swift, Bass and Davis all earned SEC Player of the Year honors and, during his tenure at LSU, four players received SEC Freshman of the Year honors while one was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Pierre played a pivotal role in the Tigers' advancement to the Final Four in 2006. LSU defeated Texas A&M, top-ranked Duke and No. 2 seed Texas en route to Indianapolis before falling to UCLA in the national semifinals. All told, Pierre was involved in four NCAA appearances and two NIT tournaments with the Tigers. LSU also won two SEC Championships (2000, `06) and three SEC Western Division Championships (2000, `05, `06).
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 players who earned national junior college Player of the Year honors.
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 Tournament titles (1992, `94), won the Sun Belt regular-season championship (1992) and played in two NCAA Tournaments. He also coached Kevin Brooks, the 18th overall selection of the 1991 NBA Draft who spent three seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
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 Conference USA Western Division title and defeated Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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 (Bachelor of Arts, University of Kentucky), are parents of a daughter,Langley, and twin sons, Joseph III and Josh. Langley is a teacher and attending graduate school. Joseph is a manager for the Cowboy Basketball program, while Josh is a member of the Arkansas State basketball team.
