Brian Wethers
July 23, 2020
Pierre Wooten
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 10/8/80
- Place of Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 81
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Winthrop (1998–1999 / 2000–2003)
- NBL DEBUT: 6/01/07
- AGE AT DEBUT: 26
- LAST NBL GAME: 8/02/07
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2007
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Pierre Wooten was born in Cincinnati, Ohio (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Pierre Wooten made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 26 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
With New Zealand entering their second season under head coach Andrej Lemanis, the Breakers retained the majority of their roster from 2005/06, with captain Paul Henare, Aaron Olson, Ben Pepper, Mika Vukona, Tim Behrendorff all returning.
Foundation forward Dillon Boucher departed to Brisbane, while marquee forward Rich Melzer was released after signing an NBA deal with San Antonio. To address those losses, Lemanis brought in new recruits Oscar Forman (via Adelaide) and Adam Darragh (via West Sydney) and moved quickly to recruit two high-profile imports — 2004 NBL MVP Brian Wethers (via Hunter) and Carlos Powell (via NBA D-League) — to provide scoring power on the wings and replace Melzer’s production.
The season opened with Powell making an immediate impact, scoring 34 points in his debut to set a club record for most points in a first game. Early highlights included a 118–97 home upset over defending champion Melbourne on 2 November, sparked by Wethers’ game-high 31 points and Powell’s 28 points, 8 rebounds. On 13 December in Singapore, the Breakers made history in the first-ever NBL game between two non-Australian teams, with Powell exploding for 43 points in a 111–94 defeat. He would later produce the league’s highest single-game total of the season with 50 points against Melbourne.
On 1 January in Sydney, New Zealand suffered a major setback when Wethers sustained a fracture to the tibial plateau of his right knee during the first quarter of a 100–89 loss. At the time, Wethers was averaging (19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals) across 22 games, providing crucial scoring support to Powell. His absence left a void in the offence and became a turning point in the season. With the Breakers in 11th place and only a remote chance of making the top-eight playoffs with 11 matches remaining, import guard Pierre Wooten (via USA) was signed as his replacement.
Chiefly a point guard but equally at home in the No.2 spot, Wooten arrived eager to contribute, spending his first days “trawling through videos of our matches to familiarise himself with our plays and our personnel,” according to Lemanis, who noted, “He’s clicked into our programs pretty quickly, but it is early days and we won’t be expecting any miracles from him this weekend.” Wooten embraced the challenge, stating, “These guys are going hard and won’t be giving up on their goal to make the top eight. We’re still in with a chance and I’m hoping to breathe some new life into the campaign.” His debut, however, was a difficult one, logging just eight minutes and missing all four of his shots in a limited role during a tough stretch for the team.
Wooten (8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists across 9 games) found his best form in a 106–93 win over the Wollongong Hawks, scoring 17 points to support Powell’s 36, providing a much-needed perimeter spark. His scoring bursts were sporadic, and while he added depth to a rotation hit hard by injury, he could not replicate Wethers’ consistent production.
Carlos Powell (28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across 33 games) led the league in scoring, claimed two NBL Player of the Month awards, and won the NBL Slam Dunk Contest at the All-Star Game. Ben Pepper (15.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) anchored the middle, while Aaron Olson (12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) was a steady perimeter threat in his final NBL season. Oscar Forman (10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds) provided floor spacing and rebounding, and Henare (8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) led the team in assists and was second in steals. Vukona (5.2 points and 6.2 rebounds) added toughness in the frontcourt.
The Breakers finished the season 10th with an 11–22 record, missing the playoffs but improving on the previous year’s 9–23 result.
Pierre Wooten played one season in the NBL. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 9 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 26 | New Zealand | 11-22 (10) | 9 | 174 | 79 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 30 | 26 | 84 | 31% | 4 | 22 | 18% | 23 | 38 | 61% | 39% | 33% | 17 | Totals | 9 | 174 | 79 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 30 | 26 | 84 | 31.0% | 4 | 22 | 18.2% | 23 | 38 | 60.5% | 39% | 33% | 17 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 26 | New Zealand | 11-22 (10) | 9 | 19.3 | 8.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 9.3 | 31% | 0.4 | 2.4 | 18% | 2.6 | 4.2 | 61% | 39% | 33% | 17 | Total | 9 | 19.3 | 8.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 9.3 | 31.0% | 0.4 | 2.4 | 18.2% | 2.6 | 4.2 | 60.5% | 39% | 33% | 17 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 17 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Hungary - KC Dombovar (2003–2004) | Turkey - Oyak Renault (2003–2004) | France - Saint-Quentin (2005–2006), Besançon (2006–2007), Quimper (2008–2009) | New Zealand - New Zealand Breakers (2006–2007) | Czech Republic - BK Kondoři Liberec (2007–2008) | Switzerland - BC Boncourt (2009–2010)
Wooten joined KC Dombovar for the 2003–2004 Hungarian League season, playing his first season in Hungary before moving to Oyak Renault for the 2003–2004 Turkish Basketball League season, where he averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals across 18 games.
Wooten joined Saint-Quentin for the 2005–2006 French Pro B season and averaged 20.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 28 games.
In that season, he scored 28 points with 2 rebounds and 6 assists in Saint-Quentin’s 82-71 win over Evreux, and Saint-Quentin finished the 2005–2006 Pro B season at 19–15 before reaching the playoff semi-finals.
He joined Besançon for the 2006–2007 French Pro A season and averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists across 8 games.
Wooten joined the New Zealand Breakers for 2006–2007 in New Zealand and averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 9 games.
He joined BK Kondoři Liberec for the 2007–2008 Czech League season and averaged 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists across 16 games.
In that season, he ranked second in the Czech League in scoring at 17.3 points per game and had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in BK Kondoři Liberec’s 85-75 win over Brno.
Wooten joined Quimper for the 2008–2009 French Pro B season and averaged 13.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 10 games.
He joined BC Boncourt for the 2009–2010 Swiss League season and averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 9 games.
In that season, he had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists in BC Boncourt’s 71-55 win over SAV Vacallo Basket, then had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists in a 113-105 loss to Spinelli Massagno.
Wooten played professionally in Europe from 2003 until 2013.
COLLEGE
Wooten played college basketball at Winthrop during the 1998-99 season before returning to the Eagles for the 2000-01 season and competing through 2002-03, a stretch that coincided with the program’s early run of Big South titles and NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Gregg Marshall.
In the 1998-99 season, Wooten appeared in 28 games and did not start, totaling 76 points (2.7 points per game) while shooting 20-for-68 from the field, going 2-for-15 from three-point range, and making 34-of-52 free throws, as Winthrop reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 1999.
Wooten’s role expanded in 2000-01 when he started all 31 games, scoring 264 points (8.5 points per game) on 85-for-224 shooting, hitting 36-of-105 threes, and going 58-of-90 at the foul line, and he was the starting point guard on a Big South Conference Championship team as Winthrop continued its run of league tournament success.
In the 2001-02 season, he started 30 of 31 games and produced 287 points (9.3 points per game) with 80 field goals on 215 attempts, 33 made threes on 101 attempts, and 94 made free throws on 122 attempts, and he was part of a Winthrop team that finished 19–12 and won the Big South tournament championship to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
During the 2002-03 season, Wooten started 29 of 30 games and posted 392 points (13.1 points per game), shooting 128-for-310 from the field while going 45-for-138 from three and 91-for-134 at the line, and he was voted MVP of the Big South Championship Tournament in 2002 while also being voted Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2003.
Across his Winthrop career, Wooten totaled 1,019 points on 313-for-817 shooting, made 116 threes on 359 attempts, and converted 277 free throws on 399 attempts in 120 games, and he currently ranks seventh on the Winthrop career lists for assists (375) and free throws made (277), while sitting eighth for free throws attempted (399).
Wooten was a member of four Big South Conference Championship basketball team's and was the starting point guard on three of those team's (2000, 2001, and 2002). He was a member of Winthrop's first team to appear in the NCAA Tournament (1999). In 2002, Wooten was voted MVP of the Big South Championship Tournament and in 2003 was voted Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He currently ranks seventh on the Winthrop career lists for assists (375) and free throws made (277), and is eighth for free throws attempted (399). Wooten was entered into the Winthorp University Hall of Fame in 2015.
COACHING HISTORY
Pierre Wooten moved into youth basketball coaching following his professional playing career.
In 2015, Wooten became a Head Basketball Coach with Mecklenburg County, coaching and developing boys and girls aged five to eight.
From 2017 to 2020, he also coached basketball with the Upper Palmetto YMCA.
Related
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