Pierce a player future Glenbard West athletes can admire
Justin Pierce is a living history lesson.
When he was younger, he read about history and heard about it. He saw it from afar and lived it up close.
He studied and cherished it.
In time he made history.
Three years spent in Glenbard West's starting lineup culminated in a senior season that'll be forever celebrated in the program record books. Pierce and the Hilltoppers caught the dreams they began chasing as children.
"I love the aspect of being able to make goals and chase history," Pierce said. "I've followed Glenbard West basketball since I was a kid and always knew I wanted to be a part of it. I love what we've been able to accomplish."
While leading Glenbard West to the West Suburban Silver title - the Hilltoppers' first conference title in 43 years - Pierce became the program's all-time scoring leader as the area's most versatile and improved player.
Earning a spot among the state's elite, Pierce is the 2015-16 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Boys Basketball Captain.
"He does it all," said Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas. "He's got a killer instinct in him. He knows how to set a goal and reach it."
Leaps and bounds
When Pierce was in third grade, his youth team coaches - his father, Greg, and Carmen Passi, father of Glenbard West senior guard Alex Passi - gave each of their players a laminated copy of a Daily Herald article featuring John Shurna as the All-Area Captain for the 2007-08 season.
As a junior the year before, Shurna led Glenbard West to a sectional championship on his way to becoming the Hilltoppers' and Northwestern's all-time leading scorer.
The article struck a chord with all the youngsters but especially Pierce, who idolized those Glenbard West teams. He knew he'd be a Hilltopper for life.
"I was going through my desk drawer in December and I came across that article," Pierce said. "I read it again and remembered. I hung on to it in case I was named (captain)."
With the ability to control a game from baseline to baseline, Pierce dominated this season.
The 6-foot-6 forward maintained the perimeter shooting ability he debuted on varsity as a sophomore but his bulkier frame allowed Pierce to be a force driving to the basket. He's a matchup nightmare who can breeze past bigger defenders and post up or shoot over smaller ones.
Pierce averaged 24.8 points and 11 rebounds - 7 points and 6 rebounds more than his junior year. He also took on a good chunk of ballhandling duties, especially against pressure, to take advantage of his combination of strength and skill.
"That's what makes him so good, his versatility," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "He can post. He can shoot 3s. He can get to the basket. The numbers he put up this year are remarkable."
All the while, he made Glenbard West a powerhouse. The Hilltoppers' all-senior starting lineup burst out of the gate to a 15-0 record and tied a program record for wins in a season by improving to 24-3 with Tuesday's win over Proviso West.
Pierce entered his senior year needing more than 600 points to pass 2012 graduate Michael Mache, who surpassed Shurna as Glenbard West's all-time scoring leader. Pierce broke the record with a dunk on senior night and enters Friday's regional final with 663 points on the season.
"He got bigger and stronger, and it changed his game," said Passi, who's played on the same team with Pierce since third grade. "It made him more aggressive, and it's made him one of the best players in the state."
Next level
Pierce entered Glenbard West as a 5-8 freshman. He was 6-2 as a sophomore and 6-5 as a junior. At only 17 years old Pierce is still growing as he prepares to take his 31 ACT and 5.0-plus GPA to William & Mary, the college he chose among 14 scholarship offers.
"There were times sophomore year when I'd get frustrated because I was so physically weak," Pierce said. "But I knew I was going to get taller and stronger. I knew I had to work at it, and I know there's a lot more work to be done."
It helped, of course, to know that his parents both competed at Northwestern. Greg was a football player, while Stephanie played volleyball. Pierce also has two younger brothers.
After Pierce's junior season he lifted weights three times a week and increased his intake to 5,000 calories a day to add 30 pounds of muscle. Finally over 200 pounds, he'll continue to bulk up to prepare for the next level.
It's a successful strategy he sees no reason to change.
"He got stronger and more comfortable with his body this season," said York coach Vince Doran. "His confidence just soared as the season went along."
Pierce signed with William & Mary in November, forgoing the chance to let his senior season usher in offers from higher-profile Division I programs. The way he played, offers likely would have poured in.
Playing at a bigger school, however, was not part of his plan. He found his match in Williamsburg, Va.
"I wasn't interested in being a role player on a Big Ten team," he said. "I wanted to continue what I've done here and be a go-to guy."
It's a role Pierce spent the last decade preparing for with fierce determination.
He sees himself in the youngsters that line up after each game hoping for a high-five or a fist bump from him. Pierce, who as a third-grader would have given anything for a high-five from Shurna, has grown to understand the impact of history.
It's Pierce's hope that what's he's accomplished this season - this amazing career - inspires the next generation of Glenbard West players.
Now he wants them to chase history.
"The kids who sit behind our bench, that's exactly what I used to do with (Shurna)," he said. "There's a lot of rich history here, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
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