Memphis men's basketball and head coach Penny Hardaway announced they have signed transfer Jonathan Pierre for the 2023-24 season with two years of eligibility remaining.
Pierre comes to Memphis from Division II power Nova Southeastern (Florida) where he led the Sharks to a 67-1 overall record with an Elite Eight appearance as a freshman and a national championship this past season.
"Jonathan Pierre is a proven winner having just won an NCAA Division II National Championship and compiling a 67-1 record over the past two years at Nova Southeastern," said Hardaway. "On top of bringing his championship pedigree, Jonathan is an extremely intelligent, high character and hardworking young man that embodies all of our core values.
"Jonathan is a positionless, modern-day basketball player with an extremely rare blend of size and skill. In addition to being able to play multiple positions on both sides of the ball, at 6'10 he shot over 40% from three this past season. We are excited to welcome Jonathan to the Memphis Tiger family as he will be a terrific representative of our program on the court, in the community and in the classroom."
The 6-foot-10 wing helped guide his team to an undefeated 36-0 record in 2022-23 after breaking out to average 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 81.9 percent at the stripe. It marked only the sixth undefeated season in Division II history.
In 33 games played, Pierre scored in double figures 27 times and reached 20-plus on six occasions. He also recorded four or more assists in 16 outings and knocked down two or more threes in 21 games.
Coming out of the prep ranks at Hallandale Magnet just north of Miami, Pierre's only scholarship offer was Nova Southeastern. Within 48 hours of entering the transfer portal on April 3, the sophomore had drawn interest from over 120 programs.
Pierre began his high school career as a 5-foot-10 guard and by the time his senior year came around he was listed at 6-2, but then a rapid growth spurt hit. Within a month's time in the middle of the season, Pierre had shot up five inches and now stood at 6-7, helping take his game to the next level.
Nova Southeastern saw Pierre at the Big 8 tournament in Broward County and after nearly averaging a triple-double against the best teams in the area, they made an offer to the newly reformed Pierre.
That move paid off for both sides as Pierre played in 60 games over two years and drew 21 starts. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his career while shooting 48 percent from the floor, 38.4 percent from deep and 82.6 percent from the free throw line.
