On May 4, 2017, Appalachian State head women's basketball coach Angel Elderkin announced the hiring of Sam Pierce Jr. to the App State coaching staff.
“Sam is a perfect fit for our players, program and community,” mentioned Elderkin. “He is go-getter, a pro-active thinker and a doer. His passion for the game is infectious, and as expected, has hit the ground running for us. I am thrilled he and his family have joined our Appalachian State community.”
Pierce, in his second season, helped the Apps win 22 games and captuerd a WBI title. He helped Madi Story bounce back from a torn ACL to have a productive final season in which she finished ninth in school history with 1,294 points, sixth all-time in free throws made with 317 and 19th in rebounding. She led the Apps in scoring at 12.3 points per game, second in rebounding (4.7 rpg) and tied for the lead with 88 free throws made.
Another wing that made strides and had a torrid stretch to the end of the season was Pre Stanley. The Rockledge, Fla., native won the WBI Tournament MVP after averaging 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the 4-0 stretch en route to the Black and Gold's WBI title run. She tied for second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and was fifth in rebounding. Lainey Gosnell perhaps made the biggest leap under, where she put forth career highs across the board. Gosnell turned in 10.3 points,
4.3 rebounds and posted personal highs in field goal percentage (.417) and free throw percentage (.709). Gosnell led the team in scoring at a clip of 12.4 per game.
Story, Gosnell and Stanley all contributed to the Apps breaking the single-season 3-point record with 215 treys.
In just his first season, Pierce made a big impact on the defensive end as well as bringing along the wings, in particular the newcomers. LaPresha Stanley was the first freshman since 2009-10 to lead the Mountaineers in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game. Stanley also led the team in steals per game (1.1 spg), free throw makes (93) and attempts (130). Stanley was one of the top freshmen in the Sun Belt, as she was second in the conference in scoring among freshmen, third in rebounding and one of two freshmen to average at least 10 points and five boards.
Also, Lainey Gosnell proved to a scoring spark off the bench with an average of 7.7 points per game and tied for second on the team with 38 3-pointers. Both Stanley and Gosnell were two of three players to score at least 20 points in a game last season.
Pierce's role on the staff will include skill development, practice planning, game planning and recruiting. The newly hired assistant will look to develop the six new commitments for App while seeking to continue to develop the eight returning Mountaineers.
While at Akron for three seasons, Pierce was responsible for Akron's junior college recruiting circuit and spearheaded the Zips' defense. In addition, he was the coordinator of player development, position coach for point guards and the strength and development liaison.
Pierce helped the development of Akron's Hannah Plybon, who increased her scoring average every season including a 6.1 ppg jump from 7.1-13.2 in Pierce's first season. Plybon would turn into a 1,000-point scorer and an All-MAC Honorable Mention member while averaging 16.4 points per game, which was the ranked eighth in the league in her final season. Four of the top leading scorers last season for Akron were from the guard position.
In 2015-16, one of his pupils, Kerri McMahan started all 31 contests as a freshman registering 6.3 points, 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game en route to being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Before his three-season stint in Akron, Pierce founded a founded a basketball development program called PA Pride located in Altoona, Pa. He coached boys and girls for six years as a part of the program.
“I am incredibly grateful to Coach Elderkin and the entire Appalachian State Administration for the opportunity to be a Mountaineer,” said Pierce. “Coach Elderkin's positive personality is contagious. She has the energy, experience and vision to lead this program to new heights. It is incredible when you combine that with the fact that Appalachian State is an institution of academic excellence and athletic tradition."
I look forward to being a part of the staff that will help continue to elevate this program to the next level.
Before finding the PA Pride Program, Pierce was the director of men's basketball operations at Robert Morris University and also spent time as an assistant coach at Penn State Altoona.
A 2002 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Pierce and his fiancé, Elizabeth Zerbee, have one son, Sam III.
What they're saying about Pierce
“App State got a good one in Sam Pierce! He has a great mind for the game and he's a team player that knows how to develop players. He will help App State and coach Elderkin right away!
Bernard Scott - Detroit Mercy HeadWomen's Basketball Coach
“App State got a great man, a great teacher and an exceptional recruiter in Sam. The players are going to love him. He's a great motivator and great in developing skills. He's a terrific X's and O's guy. I think this is a home run for App State, and I'm excited to see all the success they're going to have there.”
Tom McConnell- Indiana University Pennsylvania Head Women's Basketball Coach
