The Alabama men’s basketball head coach Nate Oats announced Thursday morning the hiring of Josh Pierre as the men’s basketball director of basketball operations.
“Josh comes to us from a basketball family who has been in the business his whole life,” head coach Nate Oats said. “Josh is a hard worker with high character and had a lot of great references with people that I trust so I am excited to get him in our program and continue to help build a winning culture here at Alabama.”
Pierre arrives to Tuscaloosa after three seasons at Elon where he served as the director of video scouting and recruiting operations for Billy Taylor & Mike Schrage. At Elon, Pierre assisted with maintaining Elon’s defensive success from the previous season, helping the unit finish third in the CAA in field goal percentage defense (43.3%). He also aided in coaching two student-athletes to all-conference honors in Hunter McIntosh (Scholar Athlete of the Year; 3rd Team) and Darius Burford (3rd Team).
The 2020-21 season marked the second for Pierre, as he played a key role in helping guide the Phoenix to a 10-9 overall record and the program’s first ever CAA Tournament Championship appearance. Pierre assisted with helping Elon’s defense improve to the top unit in the CAA and a top-50 group in the nation, holding opponents to just 65.0 points per game, a 6.7 point improvement from the 2019 season. He also aided with guiding two student-athletes to all-conference honors in Hunter McIntosh (2nd Team) and Darius Burford (All-Rookie), as well as the development of eventual NBA G-League Draft Pick Ikenna Ndugba (Greensboro Swarm).
“Erin and I are extremely thankful for this opportunity to join Coach Oats and the Alabama family,” Pierre said. “His commitment to selfless love and blue-collar mentality, along with his advanced basketball mind, equates to the unmatched culture here at Alabama. Coach Oats has hired the best staff in the country, and I am excited to help serve this program to continue bringing SEC Championships to Tuscaloosa.”
In his first season with the team in 2019-20 under head coach Mike Schrage, Elon made an appearance in its first ever CAA Tournament Semifinals round. Additionally, Pierre helped coach Elon student-athletes to seven all-conference honors and one Scholar Athlete of the Year (Hunter McIntosh). He also aided the development of eventual NBA G-League Draft Pick Ikenna Ndugba (Greensboro Swarm).
Prior to Elon, Pierre was on staff at Mississippi State, helping the Bulldogs break a decade long drought and returned to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Ben Howland. The team notched a 23-11 record and earned a No. 5 seed, the program’s best seed in the Big Dance since 2004. Additionally, Pierre played a key role in assisting with the development of five eventual NBA players in 2022 NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors Quinndary Weatherspoon, Reggie Perry, Robert Woodard, DJ Stewart and Aric Holman.
Prior to MSU, Pierre began his coaching career at his alma mater, Arkansas State. In the 2016-17 season while serving as a graduate assistant under Grant McCasland, the Red Wolves made a 10-win improvement, marking the second-best turnaround in Division I that year. He was later promoted to Director of Operations & Scouting in 2017-18 by Mike Balado.
Pierre was a four-year letterwinner for the Red Wolves from 2013-16 under head coach John Brady. Arkansas State captured the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Western Division during his freshman season and compiled consecutive 19-win seasons for the first time in 24 years. He competed in 44 games and led the nation in walk-on minutes per game (13.2) during conference play in 2015-16.
In addition to being named to the Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List, he was voted ‘Best Teammate’ by his teammates and coaching staff each season as a student-athlete, as well as being a team captain every year.
Pierre graduated from Arkansas State with a B.S. in sports management. He is a Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Alumni and served as the fraternity’s spiritual chair each year as a member. He was also a recipient of the Dr. Warren and Lu L. Nedrow Scholarship for Distinguished Alumni.
Josh Pierre Bio
- Comes to Tuscaloosa after serving the past three seasons (2019-22) as Elon men’s basketball director of video scouting and recruiting operations
- Assisted on the defensive end at Elon, which was ranked the top unit in the CAA and a top-50 group in the nation.
- During his tenure, the team made their first CAA semifinal and championship game appearances in program history
- Served as the men’s basketball video coordinator at Mississippi State, helping the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Tournament ending a decade long drought at MSU
- Husband of Erin Pierre and son of Clemmine and Butch Pierre
- His father, who possesses more than three decades of coaching experience with stops at LSU (Final Four 2006), Oklahoma State, N.C. State, Charlotte, Memphis and UTEP and is currently an assistant coach at Wichita State University
- His twin brother, Joe, is currently an assistant coach at Liberty University
- His mother is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, while his sister Langley, completed her Ph.D in educational leadership and research at LSU
- Graduated from Arkansas State in 2016 with a degree in sport management
