NC State lands commitment from former Vanderbilt PF Khamil Pierre
Former Vanderbilt PF Khamil Pierre is headed to NC State, she told On3 on Tuesday. She has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
“Coach Wes has built a great culture at NC State,” Pierre told On3’s Talia Goodman. “It’s become one of the powerhouses in the ACC, and I’m excited to be part of such a strong program and coaching staff.”
Pierre, who was dismissed from Vanderbilt’s team on June 30 for undisclosed reasons, is optimistic that she will be eligible for the 2025-26 season despite not entering the transfer portal during the spring window from Mach 25 to April 23. A source told TheWolfpacker.com that Pierre is already enrolled at NC State as a student, which should allow her to be immediately eligible in Raleigh.
NC State made the Pierre’s addition official just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re super excited to add Khamil to the Pack,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said in a statement. “We had recruited her out of high school and are thankful for a second chance to work with her. She’s been a walking double-double at the Power Four level and will make an immediate impact for our program.”
The Phoenix, Ariz., native averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 49.8 percent shooting last season. She also logged 17 double-doubles, which was the 15th-most nationally during the 2024-25 campaign.
Pierre’s top performance of the year came via a 42-point outburst against Evansville on Dec. 14. She eclipsed the 20-point mark 16 times and scored in double figures in all but one of her games last season.
Despite nearly averaging a double-double as a sophomore, Pierre wasn’t named to the SEC’s first or second team after the season. That led to Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph releasing a statement in support of the forward.
“My staff and I are extremely disappointed that Khamil didn’t receive any All-SEC honors,” Ralph said in a statement. “She is having an All-SEC type season and is putting up numbers that are among the best in the nation. … Our team would not be as successful this season without her incredible contributions all year.”
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Although Pierre, a 6-foot-2 forward, was a key member of Vanderbilt’s team, which finished 22-11 with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oregon this past season, there were rumors of her looking to enter the transfer portal this offseason. She didn’t enter the portal during the spring window, and released a statement via social media afterwards.
“I’ve taken time to reflect, pray and talk with the people I trust most, and I’ve come to a place of peace and clarity,” Pierre said in the statement on April 11. “I believe in the vision coach Ralph and [associate head coach Tom Garrick] have for me and this program.
“From day one, they’ve seen me as more than just a basketball player. They’ve loved and supported me as a person, which means everything to me. Coach Ralph and coach Tom have guided me with so much care and patience through my first two years of college. Their leadership, on and off the court, has helped me grow in ways I never imagined — as a player, yes, but even more as a young woman finding her way.”
While Pierre didn’t go into the portal, she was later removed from the team by Ralph, who called it “best for Khamil and our program to go in separate directions,” earlier this summer.
Now, Pierre appears to be the front court reinforcement that Moore needed to complete his roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
