Pierce gets career win No. 300
By Robert Alfonso Jr.
Loganville, GA – Geoffrey Pierce never really got into coaching for the individual awards or accolades.
His sole focus was to help kids reach their goals and get them ready for life after school. He has impacted many young peoples lives while building a winning culture at Grayson High School for the last 14 years.
Pierce picked up career win No. 300 when the Rams beat Cherokee Bluff, 86-51, on Tuesday. This win also helped Grayson continue its regular-season dominance over Georgia High School teams to nearly 1,050 consecutive days. The Rams (6-0) host Heritage Friday at 7:30 pm.
While Pierce is appreciative of the success, the recognition is still part of the journey.
”Regardless if they (players) become collegiate athletes or regular college students,” he said. “This just shows that we’ve been able to build and sustain a winning culture. I’ve been blessed to work with some hard working athletes and assistant coaches.”
Pierce, 44, took over at Grayson in 2012 after being an assistant coach at Meadowcreek High. He was part of the Mustangs success and taking over Grayson’s program would be a lot of hard work because the program had never won more than 20 games in a season. They never even won a state playoff tournament game.
In his first season, the Rams went .500 (13-13) in the regular season and had a losing region (6-10) region record. This was the last time the Rams were not heavily involved in having a successful region record. Grayson had its first 20 win season during the 2013-2014 campaign. He has only had three double digit losing seasons in his tenure.
“I knew we had to turn things around,” Pierce said, “because I learned early in my coaching career that it’s much easier for your athletes to earn scholarship opportunities when they play for winning programs.”
The Rams have won 20 or more regular season games 11 of the last 13 years. Grayson has amassed a 113-39 region record and only 87 losses in Pierce’s time on the sideline.
Grayson has beaten an in-state foe in the regular season for 1,000 plus consecutive days. The last time it lost to an in-state opponent during the regular season was to region rival Newton County on January 24, 2023.
In 2024, the Rams captured the elusive 7A state championship after a 30-2 record. This was the schools and Pierce’s first state championship. Many wondered if he could lead Grayson to the mountain top since they have always had the roster loaded with talent. The proverbial monkey was lifted off his back with the title but it hasn’t stopped Pierce from wanting to continue winning.
He also lives by a 2018 statement that can be found on X (formerly Twitter) that says, “The best thing I can tell a new head coach is this: most of the time the love you receive is fake, but the hate is ALWAYS real. Stay true to who you are. Continue to coach your players and always hold them accountable. This not only gets you ready for college, but also real life once they leave their parents house.”
Building a winning program takes time and talent. Pierce has been fortunate enough to help players on his roster earn a college scholarship to play basketball. They go in prepared to play at the highest level.
“We are very demanding of our players and we coach them hard,” he said. “I hope they understand why we do what we do. It’s always about the kids. Coaching has taught me to always lock in on improving and moving on to the next day, play, game. No matter how good or bad the previous day was there’s always an opportunity for growth through hard work and accountability.”
Pierce has worked for some quality coaches, who have helped impact his coaching philosophy. However, seeing his parents have been the most influential because of their work ethic. This is something he looks to pass on.
”If I’m still coaching I’d relish the opportunity to coach my (6 year old) son and coach him hard at the high school level,” laughed Pierce.
Meanwhile, Pierce is focused on winning another state championship and defending or winning a region title every year. There is no room for complacency in his mind. He approaches every day with the same hunger and focus.
“I’d like to win more state championships and continue to defend and win our region championships every year,” Pierce said. “I take a lot of pride in our program winning and competing at a high level every season because I remember where the program was when I first took the job. Wins were hard to come by so I don’t take any win for granted.
”It’s a lot easier to get our players into school when we are winning.”
Here are just a few players who have gone off to play college basketball under Pierce.
| PLAYERS | SCHOOL |
| Kyle Butts – Auburn Montgomery | Ian Schieffelin – Clemson |
| Nick Edwards – Northwest Mississippi CC | Caleb Blackwell – South Plains/UTEP |
| Tyrese Elliott – NC A&T/West Alabama | Taje’ Kelly – Charleston Southern |
| Deivon Smith – Mississippi St/St. John’s | Chad Moodie – Alabama A&M |
| Anthony Alston – Appalachian St | CJ Hyland – Western Carolina |
| Gicarri Harris – Purdue | Amir Taylor – Kennesaw St |
| Jacob Wilkins – Georgia | Chauncey Wiggins – Clemson/ FSU |
About the Author
Alfonso
Robert Alfonso Jr. is a graduate of Mount Sait Mary College. He has more than 20 years of journalism experience. Alfonso has helped build a basketball web brand in Georgia and has covered high school through college sports for publications in New York, North Carolina, and Georgia. His mission has always been to uplift the athletes who play sports providing them the exposure needed in this new media platform. Alfonso can be reached at 678-209-9187; email: baselinetosideline@gmail.com; X: bts_report