COBLESKILL’S PIERRE NAMED NJCAA ALL-AMERICAN IN MEN’S BASKETBALL

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) announced today that SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team member Daniel Pierre, Brooklyn, NY, High School of Art & Design, has been named as a Third Team NJCAA Division III All-American. The 6’7” 225 lbs senior forward/center led the Fighting Tigers to a 30-6 overall record, the NJCAA Region III Division III Championship and a trip to NJCAA Division III “Elite Eight”. Pierre becomes the eighth Fighting Tiger in program history to earn NJCAA All-American honors all of them under the tutelage current head coach Kevin McCarthy.

“I never expected to become an All-American because the type of game I play is not very exciting for people to watch,” said Pierre. “I just try to rebound, defend and put the ball in the hole. We play as a team where we all share the ball and that doesn’t always translate into stats. This was the most complete team that I have ever been a part of as a player. I have never regretted coming to Cobleskill and it is an experience that I will always cherish and remember fondly.”

During the season Pierre averaged 14.1 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 assists in 36 games connecting on 192 of 329 field goal attempts for a shooting percentage of 58.4%. He earned First Team All-Mountain Valley Conference honors, after being a selected to the league’s Third Team, as a freshman and First Team All-NJCAA Region III status for his play during the year. For his play at the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

For his career the Fighting Tiger postman established new program career records for: most rebounds, 849, rebounds per game, 12.4, double/doubles, 34, and career appearances, 68. Established single season records in: total rebounds, 491, rebounds per game, 13.6, double/doubles, 24, and tied for the most single season appearances, 36.

For his career Pierre averaged 11.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game while connecting on 298 of 540 attempts for a 55.2% mark from the field. He closes his Fighting Tiger career ranked tenth in scoring with 778 points. Cobleskill posted a 55-13 overall record during his tenure with the program.    

“As a coach I feel that I have been personally enriched by working with Daniel Pierre,” said Coach Kevin McCarthy. “He was not only a great player but the consummate gentleman away from the basketball court. His personal maturity and approach to academics destroys the stereotypic myth surrounding the junior college athlete. He is a credit to his family and we have been extremely fortunate to have had him as a student/athlete at SUNY Cobleskill in our athletic program.”