Associate men’s basketball coach Butch Pierre announced yesterday he withdrew his name from the Louisiana Lafayette search to hire a new head basketball coach.
Pierre said he enjoyed his visit at ULL, but intends to remain in his current position because he is confident LSU will compete for a national championship.
“The University of Louisiana Lafayette is a nice place,” Pierre said. “My wife and I enjoyed our interview. We have decided it is best to stay at LSU. I think that we have something happening here very special the next couple of years. I believe we can make it to a Final Four and compete for a national championship, and I want to be a part of that.”
Pierre joined LSU in 1997 after a year at North Carolina Charlotte, where UNC Charlotte finished 22-9 and earned an NCAA tournament berth. After five years as an LSU assistant, Pierre was promoted to associate head coach in the 2001-02 season, working as coach John Brady’s top assistant.
Pierre did not say if his relationship with Brady was a deciding factor, but it could not have hurt.
“He has experienced outstanding success with each stop as an assistant,” Brady said in a 2002 Tiger Rag interview. “He is an excellent coach, a proven recruiter and more importantly, a loyal friend. There is no doubt Butch will have opportunities to become a head coach in the near future.”