Pierre Rondo, son of Rajon, dazzles for North Oldham in Sweet 16 debut

It took Pierre Rondo just 16 minutes to do something his dad, a two-year standout for the University of Kentucky, never did in Rupp Arena.

The eighth-grade offspring of Rajon Rondo made four 3-pointers in the first half of North Oldham’s 74-61 win over Lyon County in UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16’s penultimate first-round game.

His dad, a two-time NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star, never made more than three 3-pointers in any college game. He set his career high, three, as a sophomore during a home game against Liberty on Nov. 25, 2005, and later matched it at Florida on Feb. 4, 2006 in the same season.

The elder Rondo, who retired from the NBA following the 2021-22 season and just turned 40 in February, shot 28.2% from beyond the 3-point line in college and 32.2% as a pro.

“He pushes me to be better than him,” Pierre said. “We’re in the gym every day getting up the shots. Hard work pays off.”

Pierre finished with five treys (on six attempts) and a team-high 25 points to pace the Mustangs, playing in the state tournament for the first time since 2022. They also advanced to the quarterfinals that year, their only previous trip, falling to Lincoln County.

They’ll meet Butler, champion out of the 6th Region in nearby Louisville, at 6 p.m. Friday. North Oldham (26-5) played several Louisville teams throughout the season as part of a beefy schedule that included the vaunted King of the Bluegrass event as well as Lexington Catholic’s long-running holiday tournament, but didn’t encounter Butler throughout.

Mustangs head coach David Levitch got to see Butler up close earlier in the day when the Bears defeated Hazard.

“Even though they’re close to us, I haven’t seen ’em play much this year,” Levitch said. “They shoot the ball really well … they play very physical on defense, man-to-man pressure. We’ll get to work tonight, try to get a good scout in.”

After going down 24-14 through one quarter, Lyon County (29-7) got to within four points early in the second frame. North Oldham closed the half on a 16-4 run to take a 46-31 lead into the locker room.

The Lyons never got it back to single digits and trailed by as many as 20 late. The final margin was similar to their first meeting with the Mustangs in a consolation game in LexCath’s tournament, a 47-37 rockfight.

Lyon County head coach Ryan Perry noted significant growth in Pierre’s game, specifically, in the time spanning that December bout to Thursday night’s matchup. Pierre, a 37% 3-point shooter on the season, had seven points and was 1 for 5 from distance that day.

“We put a lot of emphasis on him defensively in December and did a pretty good job on him, and we didn’t tonight,” “He doesn’t even look like the same player he was when we played him in December,” Perry said. “ … He doesn’t play like an eighth-grader, he plays like a senior in high school. He’s been well coached and with Rajon has been around the game and taught very, very well. Pierre’s a special talent. He’s got the skillset to be elite but he’s already got a very, very high IQ.”

Pierre Rondo’s impact for North Oldham

Rajon Rondo didn’t get to play in the Sweet 16. He transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season after spending the first three at Eastern, which never advanced beyond the 7th Region semifinals during the elder Rondo’s tenure

Pierre, who started playing varsity for North Oldham last season as a seventh-grader, has played at a level well beyond his years in the second half of the season. Thursday night’s performance was his eighth 20-point game and the sixth since January.

Levitch called out the impact Pierre’s “vocal leadership” made earlier this season against St. Xavier, the highest-ranked team remaining in the state tournament after it ousted Covington Catholic on Wednesday. North Oldham defeated the Tigers 72-69 on the road Jan. 20; Rondo had 17 points and four rebounds that night.

“He doesn’t let it get to his head at all, he’s as level-headed as possible,” Levitch said. “Even though he’s an eighth-grader, he’s a great leader on the court, off the court. … He gets everybody involved. You all saw his offense tonight, he’s just an all-around team guy.”

Teammate Oakland Shearer, who scored 17 and had five rebounds against Lyon County, said Pierre is a “big leader” in practices and is an energizing force in the Mustangs’ locker room.

Longtime UK beat reporter Larry Vaught, while asking Pierre a question, recalled Rajon Rondo’s cold approach to press conferences while he was at UK. Postgame press conferences for the Sweet 16 are held in the same area.

“I think you’ve already talked more in this press room than I remember him talking his whole time at UK,” Vaught said. Pierre smiled.

“I would say I don’t really have his personality,” Pierre said. “He’s chill, doesn’t really talk a lot, doesn’t show a lot of emotion. I feel like I’m the opposite, I’d probably say I get it from my mom.”

His head coach chimed in.

“He never stops talking,” Levitch said. “ Ever, at any point of the day. The only person you hear on the bus is his voice.”