Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top 25 Player Countdown. Each day, we publish a new article counting down the 25 best players in the Atlantic 10 this past season. Today, we feature #11 Dyshawn Pierre.
After serving a 10 game suspension to start the season, Dyshawn Pierre returned ready to go for conference play. As a senior, Pierre accomplished a lot not just this past season, but also over the course of his entire career. In his time at Dayton, Pierre scored over 1,000 points and helped lead the Flyers to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. This included a trip to the Elite Eight in 2014. While Flyer fans will forever remember his career, the opposition will be thankful Pierre is finally out of college eligibility.
Best Performance:
Pierre’s best performance of the 2015-16 season came at home on January 15th against George Washington. In just his sixth game after returning from suspension, Pierre led the Flyers to a thrilling 77-70 win against the Colonials. Pierre dropped 26 points including five made 3’s and 5 rebounds. This game was a highly anticipated matchup going in and Pierre stepped up in the clutch for his team. The 6’6″ senior forward went 7/11 on field goals and contributed a lot on defense against GW’s talented leaders, Tyler Cavanaugh and Patricio Garino. This big conference win proved vital later in the season, as without it, Dayton would not have claimed a share of the regular season conference title.
Key Stats:
In his senior season, Pierre averaged 12.6 points per game and shot 46% from the floor. Arguably the most impressive stat of Pierre’s senior year is his increased free throw percentage. Pierre shot 85% from the line, a healthy improvement from 68% in his junior year. Pierre not only brought a lot to the offense, he also made large contributions on defense and the glass. The forward pulled down an average of 8.5 boards per game. He saw about 33 minutes of game action every night and averaged 2.3 assists on 35% three point shooting in this time. The outstanding numbers Pierre put up in his career verifies his position as one of the Flyer greats.
Team Effort:
Night in and night out Pierre left everything he had out on the court. His consistency and reliability made him one of Archie Miller’s best players. While his friendliness and calm demeanor endeared Pierre to the Flyer faithful. Pierre played a large role in rejuvenating the loyal Dayton fan base. After struggling to just make the NCAA tournament in recent years, Pierre brought the Flyer fans a great taste of the Big Dance. Pierre helped lead the Flyers to five NCAA tournament wins while at Dayton. Pierre’s impressive senior season capped off his career well and earned him a deserved spot in our Top 25 A-10 Player rankings from this past year.
Previously: #12 Mo Alie-Cox
