Josh Pierre-Louis commits to Temple, joining his brother Nate

Josh Pierre-Louis, a 6-foot-2 senior from New Jersey power Roselle Catholic, will be joining his brother Nate at Temple.

Nate Pierre-Louis, who just completed his sophomore season and was voted co-most improved player in the American Athletic Conference, posted the announcement Friday on Twitter.

The younger Pierre-Louis had originally committed to UNLV. He decided to reopen his recruiting when UNLV fired coach Marvin Menzies on March 15.

“When he reopened his recruitment, we got calls from all over the country,” Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff said Friday by phone. “He attended the game when Temple played in the NCAA Tournament at Dayton and thought it would be cool to play with his brother in games like that.”

Temple (23-10) ended its season in Dayton with an 81-70 loss to Belmont in an NCAA play-in game.

Speaking by phone on Friday, Josh Pierre-Louis did indeed say that game had great impact on him.

“I just loved the environment,” said Josh, who added that he attended about 10 Temple games this past season and watched the rest on television. “It really got me thinking about Temple.”

Josh Pierre-Louis added that Temple had been recruiting him for two years. He said he had offers from schools in the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 10.

This season, Josh Pierre-Louis averaged 14.2 points for a Roselle Catholic team that won the North Jersey Non-Public B title and lost to eventual Tournament of Champions winner Ranney, 56-50, in the state finals. The younger Pierre-Louis was named a second-team all-state selection by NJ.com.

Josh Pierre-Louis became the second commitment for the class of 2019 and the first with Aaron McKie as the head coach.

McKie, the associate head coach this past season, has taken over for Fran Dunphy. A news conference to introduce McKie will be held Tuesday.

Temple received an earlier commitment from 6-4 guard Damian Dunn from Meadowcreek High in Norcross, Ga.

Temple will also have 6-5 junior James “Monty” Scott eligible after he sat out the NCAA-mandated one season following his transfer from Kennesaw State. As a sophomore in 2017-18, he averaged a team-high 17.3 points.

This season, the 6-4 Nate Pierre-Louis averaged 13.3 points and was considered Temple’s top defensive player. His brother also will come to Broad Street with a strong defensive reputation.

“Josh is a fantastic defensive player, very disruptive,” said Boff, who coached both brothers and just completed his 12th season at Roselle Catholic. “Defense is certainly his calling card, and his offensive game has come around in the last 1½ years.”

Josh admitted that when he plays one-on-one with his brother, it is difficult for both of them to score, with their penchant for playing tough.

defense.

“It’s intense,” he said. “It is hard playing him. Our competitive nature doesn’t allow each other to score."

The brothers hope to do the same together against opposing guards for the next two years together at Temple.