Caden Pierce ’26, a Powerhouse in the Post, Leads Princeton Into Ivy Play

Appearing out of nowhere below the basket, Caden Pierce ’26 finished at the rim against St. Joseph’s Dec. 3 with the bucket that would earn teammate Xaivian Lee ’26 his 10th assist — and Princeton men’s basketball its first ever triple-double.

No play better exemplifies Pierce’s role on this Tigers squad. A power forward with perseverance, he averaged 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season. He was recognized with individual Ivy League honors in back-to-back years — as Rookie of the Year in 2023 and Player of the Year in 2024.

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Young Caden Pierce ’26 playing youth basketball. 

Courtesy of Stephanie Pierce

Pierce has two older brothers: Justin, 26 (a retired overseas basketball pro), and Alec, 24 (a receiver for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts). His parents, Greg (football) and Stephanie (volleyball), were both athletes at Northwestern. The Pierce home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, was an energetic one.

As the youngest, Pierce always wanted to fit in, bringing his own basketball to his brothers’ games when he was just 6 or 7 years old. Every game stoppage, he was on the court shooting hoops. “The refs would know me,” Pierce said.

On the Pierce family court (the driveway), he learned how to handle a mismatch by playing his older brothers and their friends. “I wish I could have held my own a little bit better, but they beat me up for sure,” he laughed.

Stephanie attributes Pierce’s skill to those games — that competing against bigger and stronger kids forced him to get better.

In high school, Pierce played both basketball and golf. Stephanie said she used to drop him off at a public golf course for a few hours with $15 — $10 for the golf and $5 for a hot dog.

“It was a good babysitter,” she joked.

By sophomore year, Pierce began to realize that he wanted to stick with basketball. Along with his high school team, he started playing for a club team before switching to an Under Armour-sponsored team that boasts NBA players among its alumni.

On “Pick and Pop,” the podcast he hosts with Lee (his roommate), Pierce has talked about how his dad encouraged him to email coaches as soon as he was permitted to during the recruitment process. Brett MacConnell, Princeton’s associate head coach, was one of the only ones who responded. The academics at Princeton combined with the attitude of the coaching staff was a huge draw for Pierce.

Coming in as a first-year, Pierce played serious minutes from the jump, averaging 30 per game. He helped the team to the regular season Ivy crown and the Ivy Tournament championship, and was key in the Tigers’ Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament.

“If you’re looking for other places or other options, the one thing that’s going to always bring you back here is the friendships that you’re going to have for life.”

Caden Pierce ’26

But what’s keeping Pierce at Princeton? College basketball has become more lucrative than ever, with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals drawing away other talented Ivy League players, such as Yale’s Danny Wolf, now at Michigan.

Pierce said it’s about the team culture. “If you’re looking for other places or other options, the one thing that’s going to always bring you back here is the friendships that you’re going to have for life,” he said.

Princeton’s fortunate in that most of its standout players from last year are back this season. Jack Scott ’26 briefly transferred to William & Mary but returned; Lee flirted with the NBA draft before opting to stay. Tosan Evbuomwan ’23 
is the most recent proof that a path from Princeton to the NBA is possible.

“I understand that money is money, and it’s hard to pass up,” Pierce said. “But also I believe that — and Xaivian [Lee] says this too — that the money that you’re getting for one or two years at a school might be chump change for what you’re making if you make the NBA.”