How Jaron Pierre Jr. plans to become a ‘smarter’ scorer for Wichita State basketball
Ask around the Wichita State men’s basketball program about initial impressions of the many newcomers and it doesn’t take long for Jaron Pierre Jr.’s name to come up.
The transfer from Southern Miss, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, is a natural-born scorer and his raw talent was evident in team workouts in Wichita this summer.
For a Wichita State team that must replace the bulk of its scoring load from last season, Pierre’s fervor for bucket-getting should come in handy his first season for the Shockers. With tip-off to the 2022-23 season six weeks away, WSU will hold the first practice of the season on Tuesday at Koch Arena.
“My goal this summer was to get back to the way I really was, the way I was in high school,” Pierre told The Eagle earlier this summer. “I’m embracing the grind because I know it’s going to pay off. That’s why I’m having a real locked-in mindset. I want to be a better teammate, a better leader.”
In his two years at Southern Miss, Pierre proved he could score: he averaged 8.8 points as a true freshman and then 9.9 points last season. With an array of crossovers, step-backs and tough shot-making from all three levels, he could make one entertaining highlight mix.
It can be a gift to lean on those skills in late-clock situations that call for it, but it can be a curse when a player uses them to take difficult shots nearly every time. That’s why as Pierre’s scoring average rose to 9.9 this past season, his field goal percentage dropped to 34.2%.
WSU coach Isaac Brown has worked with Pierre this summer on improving his discipline and shot selection. There are still instances where Pierre’s natural scoring tenacity takes over, but he believes he is making strides.
“I really feel like the IB system fits my game,” Pierre said. “I know I can get my shots, but they have to be smarter shots instead of just taking shots to take them.
“I feel like it’s different (at WSU) because we’ve got good bigs here, so it won’t be as hard for me. Now I know I can use the screen to get to my floater or dump it off or hit the big for the pick and pop. I feel like I can get to my game more.”
Pierre wants to return to the efficient scorer he was in high school, where he was a star for St. Augustine in New Orleans. In his senior season, he averaged 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals and led his team to the state championship game in Louisiana’s largest private school classification.
“That was back when I didn’t have any Division I offers and I was in more of a grind mode,” Pierre said. “After playing college basketball for two years, it didn’t work out with Southern Miss and I knew I needed to make a change. I wanted to come (to Wichita) because this was more of a basketball environment. It’s further away from home. There’s stuff here that I’m not used to. Sometimes it’s better that way when you’re not used to things, that can be the best fit.”
With no distractions, Pierre said he has dedicated himself to the practice gym this summer to focus on improvements and rid himself of “bad habits.” He has worked hard to improve his three-point stroke after shooting 33.5% on 269 attempts beyond the arc at Southern Miss. He has also worked on his ball handling and decision-making in the pick-and-roll game, which has become a vital part of Wichita State’s offense under Brown.
If Pierre makes the strides that the WSU coaching staff believes he can make, then he could be an important player on the wing for the Shockers as soon as this season.
“Jaron is a tough assignment for any defender because he has so many different ways to hurt you,” Brown said. “He can catch-and-shoot or create off the bounce. With Jaron, we’re getting both experience and upside. He’s battle-tested with two seasons at Southern Miss, but has a chance to get even better over the next three years.”
Growing up in New Orleans, Pierre had to overcome adversity daily. That lifestyle shaped him into the person he is today, which he is grateful for, but the motivation of making it out of New Orleans is what drives him.
He hopes to fulfill his potential in Wichita.
“There’s a lot more adversity down there in New Orleans, but there’s a lot of talent,” Pierre said. “Where I come from, there’s a lot of ‘what-if’s’ and ‘shoulda-been’s.’ I don’t want to be a shoulda-been guy, so my mindset right now is focusing on basketball, on my craft and working to get to that next level. I’m locked in and six or seven months from now, I could change my life.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
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