Villanova basketball’s Braden Pierce is planning to enter the transfer portal, a source told League Ready. The seven foot center has three more years of eligibility remaining after taking two medical redshirt years at the University of Maryland.
Pierce averaged 1.2 points per game this year, 0.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists. He spent two years at Maryland, before following current head coach Kevin Willard to Villanova. During his time as a Terrapin, Pierce averaged 2.4 points per game, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists.
He tied his season-high of six points at home on March 7, in a 91-78 win over Xavier. Pierce’s first field goal of his Villanova career was against The University of Pennsylvania on Dec. 6. His first start was against Old Dominion University, when Pierce replaced an injured Duke Brennan. He contributed two points and two rebounds in the win.
Pierce played the 2022-23 season at IMG Academy on their post-graduate national team. The Woodstock, GA native attended and played for River Ridge High School and played AAU with Atlanta Xpress.
Pierce appeared in five games during his time at Maryland before being forced to take another medical redshirt due to a serious eye injury. He set his career-high of six points against Canisius on Nov. 19, along with five rebounds.
Pierce joins Acaden Lewis, Bryce Lindsay and Zion Stanford, who departed the team earlier this season, in the portal. Currently, the only remaining players on Villanova’s roster are Tyler Perkins, Malachi Palmer, Matt Hodge, Malcolm Flaggs, Chris Jeffrey and Nico Onyekwere.
He will likely search for a program that will give him increased playing time.
The NCAA men’s portal will open on Tuesday, April 7 following the National Championship game tonight. It will remain open for 15 days and close on April 21.
