The academic routine for Caden Pierce, now in his senior year at Princeton, remains familiar. He heads to class and wraps things up, depending on the day, in his Psychology of Decision Making and Judgement class or Roman Empire 44 B.C. to A.D. 337 around 2 or 3 pm.
His classmates, many of which are his former Princeton teammates, are faces he recognizes, even eats lunch with daily.
But that’s about where all the familiarity ends for the former Glenbard West star. Everything is different for Pierce these days.
The 21-year-old Pierce, who has been a standout player at Princeton the past three years, is in uncharted waters. With one season remaining of eligibility, Pierce made a bold decision to sit out the year as he finishes off his Ivy League degree while officially entering the transfer portal on Oct. 1.
At this time of the year Pierce is typically diving into the grind and daily routine of a college basketball season. Instead, the structure he says he once knew and that was so regulated –– practice, film, weightlifting, workouts and treatments before and after practice –– is a thing of the past. The routine has completely changed.
A self-proclaimed “early bird,” Pierce is up out of bed and in the weightroom by 7 am, before classes start, albeit in a student rec center rather than the Princeton athletics facilities.
Then when his former teammates head off to practice after class, Pierce will go his separate way. He goes to work on his game, sometimes on his own and other times driving to meet with a trainer that Priority Sports in Chicago, the sports agency that represents him, has set him up with.
While Pierce says he’s adjusting to his new routine, he admits it’s been difficult. When he eats lunch with his former teammates, he says he has to ask team-related questions every day. He still cares about Princeton basketball and his teammates. And he misses it.
“I want to compete,” Pierce said. “And the fact I’m not able to do that on a daily basis in practice? It’s difficult. At the end of the day I knew this was going to be difficult. It was going to be a difficult and awkward year. But I knew that was going to be part of the process. I am trying not to get too caught up in it or go crazy not playing.”
Awkward is an understatement when it comes to being in the transfer portal — in October. It simply doesn’t happen.
“It’s unique because, yes, I’m in the transfer portal,” Pierce acknowledges. “But by no means is it the typical transfer portal process.”
Now Pierce is in the midst of one of the most unorthodox recruitments anyone has seen.
While thousands of players are recruited out of the portal in the spring, Pierce is pretty much the only player college programs across the country are currently courting.
And why not? Pierce is a player with a burgeoning and accomplished résumé.
One year after leading Glenbard West to a state championship in 2022, Pierce was named Freshman of the Year and helped fuel Princeton’s NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen run. He was the Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Pierce fills the stat sheet. In three seasons he’s already surpassed 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 200 assists. He’s a versatile 6-6, multi-positional talent with a coveted three years of Division I experience under his belt.
“He will be a coveted, wanted man, for sure,” a high-major coach said this week.
Dozens of high-major programs are all in on Pierce. He’s currently meeting with Blue Bloods and the Big Ten’s best programs. It’s enough to excite Pierce when he thinks about what’s in store when he does get to play again, albeit next college basketball season.
“It’s definitely incredibly exciting to think about the opportunity ahead,” said Pierce, an all-stater at Glenbard West who led the Hilltoppers to a 37-1 record as a senior. “Everyone dreams of playing at this level. I have since I was a kid watching March Madness. I was lucky enough to make a Sweet Sixteen my freshman year. Hopefully next year the dream can be to win a national championship. But that’s super motivating for me.”
When it comes to this recruiting process, Pierce says he does feel like he’s a little bit more in control –– and in more demand –– because, well, “I’m basically the only guy out there.”
“It’s been really weird, but for the coaches as well,” Pierce said. “I almost feel more wanted. Unique is the word I would use to describe it.”
But why is Pierce in this isolated position? How did he get here?
So much has changed in college athletics, especially in college basketball, since Pierce first walked into his first class at Princeton in the fall of 2022, specifically the transfer portal and NIL opportunities.
But what hasn’t changed is the prestige an Ivy League degree offers you: security, respect, career advantages and powerful networking opportunities through an impressive alumni network.
Pierce is simply trying to navigate it all.
There was some thought of transferring after his sophomore year. He was fresh off being named MVP of the league and would have been a hot name in the portal. But he decided to come back and play last year. He loved his time at Princeton.
“Princeton is my home and I am so appreciative and grateful for all Princeton has done for me in my three seasons there,” Pierce said.
But last season didn’t go great. Pierce battled an injury late in the season and the team didn’t meet high preseason expectations. Following the season two teammates, both roommates and his best friends on campus, entered the transfer portal. There were two assistant coaches he was extremely close to who also departed.
“All of that combined, and it was too much that was too different as far as a program,” Pierce said. “And with the current landscape of college basketball with NIL and everything out there, it didn’t feel right to use my last year of eligibility at Princeton. I wanted to graduate. So it left me with one option: go to school, graduate, not play and pursue my fifth year elsewhere.”
Now he’s taking his time, figuring it all out as he narrows down his options to a few schools he will take visits to in the coming weeks. He hopes to have a decision by Christmas. There is so much to consider, including having to commit before not knowing exactly what a team’s roster will look like when he arrives and the obvious financial decisions that come with a player with his background.
NIL has evolved so much in my four years of college,” Pierce pointed out. “The level of money was non-existent compared to what it is now.”
Pierce heard plenty after his sophomore year, including what his “market value” would be if he were to enter the portal.
“But it wasn’t anything outrageous,” he says. “But now? OK, it’s really starting to open your eyes. You’re not talking about just a couple of dollars you’re going to make if I were to leave Princeton. This is life-changing money. It weighs on you for sure, and it’s hard not to acknowledge that.”
The money will be there one way or another, which is why the two criteria he’s looking at in choosing his next school has remained the same: win a lot of games at a high level and be developed as a player.
“I want to go to a program that is contending for a national championship,” Pierce said. “And I also want to go to a program that is going to develop me into the best player I can possibly be. I want to continue playing as long as I can. Those two things are huge for me.”
For now, though, it’s trying to keep his game as sharp as possible in his year off from playing and back to studying for his Financial History class.