COLLEGE PARK, MD – The 2023-24 Maryland men's basketball program's incoming class officially added Braden Pierce as its fourth signee after he recently signed his National Letter of Intent. A 7-foot, 230-pound center, Pierce played the is past season at IMG Academy as part of their post-graduate national team.
 
Pierce joins a consensus top-15 signing class alongside DeShawn Harris-Smith (Fairfax, VA), Jamie Kaiser (Burke, VA), and Jahnathan Lamothe (Baltimore, MD). Kaiser, Lamothe, and Pierce will team up together on April 29 as part of the 50^th Annual Hoop Culture Capital Classic at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC, while Harris-Smtih will take part in the Iverson All-American Game at Harwood Arena in Union, NJ.
 
"Braden has impressed us with his development over the past year as an athletic 7-footer," said head coach Kevin Willard. "He's unique in that his start in basketball was later than most, but we think he has great potential on both ends of the court."
 
This past season, Pierce averaged a double-double along with four blocks per game. 
 
The native of Woodstock, GA, is a three-star prospect by 247sports.com as well as On3.com. He played at River Ridge High School and played on the AAU circuit with the Atlanta Xpress before taking his postgraduate year at IMG Academy.
 
In addition to Maryland, Pierce was also recruited by Missouri, Vanderbilt, Pitt, N.C. State, and Rutgers.