Liberty assistant men’s basketball coach Joe Pierre III has been hired to the same position at Furman, announced by the Paladins and their head coach Bob Richey on Wednesday.
Pierre has spent the past seven seasons under head coach Ritchie McKay’s staff at Liberty, helping guide the Flames to a 177-58 overall record, six regular season conference titles, and four conference tournament championships. Pierre was hired at Liberty in 2018 as the director of player development. In 2020, he was promoted to assistant coach.
“I’m very thankful for my time at Liberty,” said Pierre in the official release from Furman. “We were able to create lasting relationships and shared memories that will last a lifetime. Coach McKay is my life’s greatest mentor. His friendship and leadership have impacted me in ways far beyond basketball. I am so grateful for the last seven years in Lynchburg.”
Prior to his time at Liberty, Pierre was a graduate assistant and video coordinator for Middle Tennessee under their former head coach Kermit Davis. Pierre also had a stint as a high school basketball coach and worked as a student manager from 2011-15 at Oklahoma State under Travis Ford as well as his father, former Oklahoma State associate head coach, Butch Pierre.
Furman is coming off a 25-10 season and 11-7 finish in the Southern Conference under Richey who is entering his ninth season at the helm of the Paladins. They have won 20 or more games in six of those years under Richey, including a 28-8 mark in 2022-23. That year, Furman won the SOCON regular season and tournament crown, advancing to the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed where they defeated Virginia, 68-67, before falling to eventual national runner-up San Diego State in the second round.
McKay will look to fill the role vacated by Pierre. The Flames’ men’s basketball staff also includes Associate Head Coach Derek Johnston as well as assistant coaches Zach Farquhar and Stephen Burggraf, each of whom played for Liberty under McKay.
