Pierre Pierce
Encyclopedia
Pierre Antoine Pierce is an American
professional basketball
player. A former member of the University of Iowa
Hawkeyes men's team
, Pierce was convicted of several crimes relating to a violent incident with a former girlfriend, leading to his dismissal from the Hawkeyes and eventual imprisonment. The 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) and 195 lb (88 kg) point guard
/shooting guard
was the highest scoring player on the team at the time of his dismissal.
Pierce was born in the Chicago
, Illinois
suburb of Westmont
, and he played competitive basketball for Westmont High School
. He began attending the University of Iowa in 2001. He currently plays for BC Azovmash in Ukraine
.
As he was suspended for the entire 2002-03 season, Pierce's sophomore season commenced in 2003-04. In 29 games, he averaged a team-leading 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds (3rd on the team), and 3.7 assists (2nd on the team). A highlight was a 28-point performance in a 79-70 loss to Michigan on March 12, 2004.
In his final season (2004-05), up until it had been cut short, the junior had been leading the team with 17.8 points, while averaging 5.2 rebounds (2nd on the team), 4.2 assists, and for a team-high 2.5 steals, this was a marked improvement from 2001-02 and 2003-04, when he averaged only 0.9 steals in each of those seasons. He had a career-high 31 points and a team-high 3 steals in an 81-69 loss to Ohio State
on January 8, 2005.
(Illinois) court records, in June 2001, Pierce was arrested and had to post bail on charges of criminal defacement and mob action for allegedly spray-painting his high school, although Pierce disputes the records.
In September 2002, Pierce was charged with one count of third-degree sexual assault in Iowa City
. He was arrested on October 1. On September 7, a report was filed by a woman who was treated at a hospital emergency room the day before. She accused Pierce, an acquaintance, of performing unwanted sex acts on her at a party at his Iowa City apartment on September 6. According to records, Pierce held the woman's hands over her head and covered her mouth when she tried to scream. He was subsequently suspended indefinitely from the Iowa Hawkeyes by athletic department officials, which was atypical, as the school usually waits for the legal process to play out before making a decision, but the school took swift action because of the severity of the charge. To avoid imprisonment, Pierce pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of assault causing injury in a sexual assault. He received no jail time, but received a deferred judgment, so the charge was erased from his record after he successfully completed a year of probation, counseling and 200 hours of community service, the requirements of the plea agreement. He later apologized publicly for engaging in "inappropriate sexual conduct with a fellow student." Pierce sat out the 2002-03 season after his plea bargain but took it as a redshirt year to avoid losing it as a year of eligibility. Because there were many people upset over Pierce being allowed to remain on the team and keep his scholarship, two petitions totaling over 3,000 signatures were filed protesting the circumstances of the school's handling of the case. A petition started by a law school student had 1,873 signatures, while the university's Women's Resource and Action Center collected 1,230. Amid resolutions urging students to boycott the men's basketball games, the petition had urged season ticket holders to ask the athletic department for a refund or to transfer their tickets to another athletic team, actions Pierce's attorney Alfredo Parrish labeled "absolutely ridiculous" because "[they] don't know the facts" before "[reaching] a conclusion." Pierce spent that season working on improving his game while he was not competing. Pierce was back in uniform with the team in August 2003, in a return for the 2003-04 season, in which he led the Hawkeyes on a five-game tour of Australia
. In those games, he averaged 20.8 points a game on better than 50-percent shooting, and almost 5 rebounds per game.
home of a woman Pierce had been dating for 2½ years. He allegedly choked her, threatened her with a knife and stripped her after an argument over her new boyfriend. Pierce was also accused of causing damage to her apartment and stealing a laptop and camera. After police confirmed Pierce was the focus of their investigation, he was dismissed from the basketball team by coach Steve Alford
on February 2, with Alford saying that [Pierce had] betrayed the trust they placed in him when he was given a second chance two years prior. At the time, Pierce was the leading scorer on the team averaging 17.8 points per game, the third-best in the Big Ten Conference
, and led the Hawkeyes with 16.1 points a game as a sophomore in 2003-04. Pierce met with Alford for about 15 minutes on February 15, and Pierce's appeal to have his dismissal reconsidered was rejected by Alford. Pierce remained on scholarship and was still attending classes.
Pierce's attorney Alfredo Parrish sought to have the most serious of the charges, first-degree burglary quashed, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years upon conviction. On February 28, 2005, Pierce pled not guilty to two charges of first-degree burglary, assault with intent to commit sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Because the first-degree burglary charges and the assault charges are felonies, a conviction would mean Pierce could have been sentenced to up to 56 years and fined $9,000. In March, he waived his right to a speedy trial, delaying it from mid-May to a later date. Months later, fresh evidence surfaced that Pierce made more than 200 phone calls to his ex-girlfriend in March and April, which violated a no-contact order. In May 2005, a judge allowed Pierce to travel outside of Iowa
to attend a Chicago, Illinois-based camp in preparation for June's 2005 NBA Draft
. Strict conditions were placed on Pierce, including the posting of a $30,000 cash bond, that he stay with his parents in the Chicago area and that he submit a plan outlining his supervision while attending the camp.
In August 2005, he reached a plea bargain and pled guilty to third-degree burglary, assault with an intent to commit sexual abuse, false imprisonment, and fourth-degree criminal mischief in Dallas County
District Court. He was originally charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, but prosecutors agreed to dismiss these, which would have carried a 25-year sentence. He was sentenced on October 28, 2005 to a five-year suspended sentence on the burglary charge, two years on the assault charge and one year each for false imprisonment and criminal mischief, the sentences to be served concurrently. Pierce served 332 days (11 months) of a 2-year sentence in Iowa's Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility
before being released on probation on September 24, 2006. Pierce originally sought early release but learned he was denied on August 7, 2006, thus delaying his freedom for several weeks. He received time off for good behavior and participation in prison treatment programs including a 4- to 5-month treatment program for sex offenders. He was to remain on probation for the next four years and one month, and had to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry before his release.
' 2007 NBA Summer League
competition in Las Vegas
, in which he played impressively, averaging 21.5 points in his first two games. Because the terms of his probation prevented him from leaving Iowa to pursue a career with the NBA
,
his participation in the Nevada
-based summer league was a violation, which resulted in him being sentenced in April 2008 to 30 days' jail.
In September 2008, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed Pierce to leave Iowa to play professionally in France
where he signed a $120,000 contract with a team (Hyères-Toulon Var Basket
), in their top professional league
. where he averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 30 French League games. In July 2010 he signed a one-year deal with Greek club Aris BC
. In February 2011 he signed with BC Azovmash.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. A former member of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Hawkeyes men's team
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. They currently play in 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with the school's women's basketball, wrestling, and...
, Pierce was convicted of several crimes relating to a violent incident with a former girlfriend, leading to his dismissal from the Hawkeyes and eventual imprisonment. The 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) and 195 lb (88 kg) point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
/shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
was the highest scoring player on the team at the time of his dismissal.
Pierce was born in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
suburb of Westmont
Westmont, Illinois
Westmont is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211...
, and he played competitive basketball for Westmont High School
Westmont High School (Westmont, Illinois)
Westmont High School, or WHS, is a public four-year high school located in Westmont, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Westmont Community Unit School District 201...
. He began attending the University of Iowa in 2001. He currently plays for BC Azovmash in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
College career
In his freshman season (2001-02), in which he started 32 of 35 games, mostly at point guard, Pierce averaged 7.1 points (4th on the team), 3.3 rebounds (4th on the team) and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game, while making 16.7% of his three-pointers.As he was suspended for the entire 2002-03 season, Pierce's sophomore season commenced in 2003-04. In 29 games, he averaged a team-leading 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds (3rd on the team), and 3.7 assists (2nd on the team). A highlight was a 28-point performance in a 79-70 loss to Michigan on March 12, 2004.
In his final season (2004-05), up until it had been cut short, the junior had been leading the team with 17.8 points, while averaging 5.2 rebounds (2nd on the team), 4.2 assists, and for a team-high 2.5 steals, this was a marked improvement from 2001-02 and 2003-04, when he averaged only 0.9 steals in each of those seasons. He had a career-high 31 points and a team-high 3 steals in an 81-69 loss to Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
on January 8, 2005.
2001 & 2002 charges
According to DuPage CountyDuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
(Illinois) court records, in June 2001, Pierce was arrested and had to post bail on charges of criminal defacement and mob action for allegedly spray-painting his high school, although Pierce disputes the records.
In September 2002, Pierce was charged with one count of third-degree sexual assault in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
. He was arrested on October 1. On September 7, a report was filed by a woman who was treated at a hospital emergency room the day before. She accused Pierce, an acquaintance, of performing unwanted sex acts on her at a party at his Iowa City apartment on September 6. According to records, Pierce held the woman's hands over her head and covered her mouth when she tried to scream. He was subsequently suspended indefinitely from the Iowa Hawkeyes by athletic department officials, which was atypical, as the school usually waits for the legal process to play out before making a decision, but the school took swift action because of the severity of the charge. To avoid imprisonment, Pierce pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of assault causing injury in a sexual assault. He received no jail time, but received a deferred judgment, so the charge was erased from his record after he successfully completed a year of probation, counseling and 200 hours of community service, the requirements of the plea agreement. He later apologized publicly for engaging in "inappropriate sexual conduct with a fellow student." Pierce sat out the 2002-03 season after his plea bargain but took it as a redshirt year to avoid losing it as a year of eligibility. Because there were many people upset over Pierce being allowed to remain on the team and keep his scholarship, two petitions totaling over 3,000 signatures were filed protesting the circumstances of the school's handling of the case. A petition started by a law school student had 1,873 signatures, while the university's Women's Resource and Action Center collected 1,230. Amid resolutions urging students to boycott the men's basketball games, the petition had urged season ticket holders to ask the athletic department for a refund or to transfer their tickets to another athletic team, actions Pierce's attorney Alfredo Parrish labeled "absolutely ridiculous" because "[they] don't know the facts" before "[reaching] a conclusion." Pierce spent that season working on improving his game while he was not competing. Pierce was back in uniform with the team in August 2003, in a return for the 2003-04 season, in which he led the Hawkeyes on a five-game tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In those games, he averaged 20.8 points a game on better than 50-percent shooting, and almost 5 rebounds per game.
2005 charges and imprisonment
On January 27, 2005, a disturbance was investigated at the West Des MoinesWest Des Moines, Iowa
West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 46,403; a special census taken in the spring of 2005 counted 51,744 residents and the United States Census Bureau estimated that 53,889 residents lived there in...
home of a woman Pierce had been dating for 2½ years. He allegedly choked her, threatened her with a knife and stripped her after an argument over her new boyfriend. Pierce was also accused of causing damage to her apartment and stealing a laptop and camera. After police confirmed Pierce was the focus of their investigation, he was dismissed from the basketball team by coach Steve Alford
Steve Alford
Stephen Todd Alford is a retired American basketball player and the current head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team...
on February 2, with Alford saying that [Pierce had] betrayed the trust they placed in him when he was given a second chance two years prior. At the time, Pierce was the leading scorer on the team averaging 17.8 points per game, the third-best in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, and led the Hawkeyes with 16.1 points a game as a sophomore in 2003-04. Pierce met with Alford for about 15 minutes on February 15, and Pierce's appeal to have his dismissal reconsidered was rejected by Alford. Pierce remained on scholarship and was still attending classes.
Pierce's attorney Alfredo Parrish sought to have the most serious of the charges, first-degree burglary quashed, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years upon conviction. On February 28, 2005, Pierce pled not guilty to two charges of first-degree burglary, assault with intent to commit sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Because the first-degree burglary charges and the assault charges are felonies, a conviction would mean Pierce could have been sentenced to up to 56 years and fined $9,000. In March, he waived his right to a speedy trial, delaying it from mid-May to a later date. Months later, fresh evidence surfaced that Pierce made more than 200 phone calls to his ex-girlfriend in March and April, which violated a no-contact order. In May 2005, a judge allowed Pierce to travel outside of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
to attend a Chicago, Illinois-based camp in preparation for June's 2005 NBA Draft
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
. Strict conditions were placed on Pierce, including the posting of a $30,000 cash bond, that he stay with his parents in the Chicago area and that he submit a plan outlining his supervision while attending the camp.
In August 2005, he reached a plea bargain and pled guilty to third-degree burglary, assault with an intent to commit sexual abuse, false imprisonment, and fourth-degree criminal mischief in Dallas County
Dallas County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 66,135 in the county, with a population density of . There were 27,260 housing units, of which 25,240 were occupied.-2000 census:...
District Court. He was originally charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, but prosecutors agreed to dismiss these, which would have carried a 25-year sentence. He was sentenced on October 28, 2005 to a five-year suspended sentence on the burglary charge, two years on the assault charge and one year each for false imprisonment and criminal mischief, the sentences to be served concurrently. Pierce served 332 days (11 months) of a 2-year sentence in Iowa's Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility
Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility
The Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility is an Iowa Department of Corrections correctional institution located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. As of July 30, 2010, the institution has 891 inmates and another 44 in segregation in a 775-inmate facility, and 100 additional female inmates in...
before being released on probation on September 24, 2006. Pierce originally sought early release but learned he was denied on August 7, 2006, thus delaying his freedom for several weeks. He received time off for good behavior and participation in prison treatment programs including a 4- to 5-month treatment program for sex offenders. He was to remain on probation for the next four years and one month, and had to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry before his release.
Release
Pierce was named to the roster of Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
' 2007 NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
competition in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, in which he played impressively, averaging 21.5 points in his first two games. Because the terms of his probation prevented him from leaving Iowa to pursue a career with the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
,
his participation in the Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
-based summer league was a violation, which resulted in him being sentenced in April 2008 to 30 days' jail.
In September 2008, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed Pierce to leave Iowa to play professionally in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he signed a $120,000 contract with a team (Hyères-Toulon Var Basket
Hyères-Toulon Var Basket
Hyères-Toulon Var Basket is a professional basketball club based in Hyères and Toulon, France playing in the Pro A.Created by the merger of Omni Sport Hyerois and Club Sportif Toulonnais, the club shares its home games between the Espace 3000 in Hyères and the Palais des Sports in Toulon....
), in their top professional league
Ligue Nationale de Basketball
The Ligue National de Basket is the top men's French professional basketball league. There are two divisions: French Pro A League and French Pro B League .-Pro A:...
. where he averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 30 French League games. In July 2010 he signed a one-year deal with Greek club Aris BC
Aris BC
Aris Basketball Club is the professional basketball team of the Thessaloniki-based Greek sport club Aris Thessaloniki. Aris BC was founded in 1922, eight years after the founding of Aris Thessaloniki....
. In February 2011 he signed with BC Azovmash.
External links
- Pierre Pierce Iowa Hawkeyes profile, sports.espn.go.com
- Pierce's Profile on the CBS Sportsline Web Site
- Pierre Pierce profile at official site of Hyères Toulon Var Basket