UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Satchel Pierce has signed with the Penn State men's basketball team, Patrick Chambers, head coach of the Nittany Lions, announced Thursday. Pierce played two years at Virginia Tech and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2016-17 campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
A 7-footer from Barberton, Ohio, Pierce saw action in 51 games with seven starts for the Hokies. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game with 27 blocks over his career. Career highs were posted in both scoring (13) and rebounds (7) against Miami March 7, 2015.
"We are excited Satchel has decided to become a Nittany Lion," Chambers said. "He brings a remarkable skill set for his size. Having a redshirt season will be a tremendous opportunity for him to continue to make strides in his development. I cannot wait to have him on the court for the 2017-18 season."
Piece lettered two years at the Kiski School, located in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, helping lead the basketball team to two state championship runner-up finishes. He was a three-star center out of high school, earning a McDonald's All-American nomination and invitation to the NBAPA Top 100 Camp. Piece was selected to play basketball with World Vision Sports in China for three weeks in March 2014.
Pierce will be one of five new faces on the Penn State roster this season, joining a group of four freshmen in Nazeer Brostick, Tony Carr, Joe Hampton and Lamar Stevens.