Dayton’s suspended forward Dyshawn Pierre to return to team

Dayton forward Dyshawn Pierre returned to practice Sunday and is expected to make his season debut in the near future.

Dayton senior forward Dyshawn Pierre returned to practice Sunday and is expected to make his season debut in the near future, reports ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Pierre, who was suspended from the school after he was accused of sexual assault by another student in September, could return to game action as early as Dec. 30, head coach Archie Miller said.

“He looks great,” Miller said. “I was surprised with how good he looked, to be honest. But he still hasn’t played in months. He’s missed 48 practices and 10 games. So we’ll evaluate him on a day-to-day basis – and he’ll have to evaluate himself.”

In May, a female student accused Pierre of sexually assaulting her at his campus residence after they returned from a night out at a local bar. Pierre, who denied any wrongdoing in the incident, has since sued the school in federal court. He was not allowed on campus during the first semester.

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Pierre led Dayton in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 12.7 points and 8.1 boards per game.

Dayton is 8–2 without Pierre so far this season.