Earlier this month, Dyshawn Pierre walked past me as I was talking to Bucky Bockhorn outside UD's practice gym at the Cronin Center. I asked Pierre if he knew he had just passed Bockhorn on the career scoring list.
"No, nobody told me," Pierre said.
Bockhorn joked about being offended by being passed. Obviously, he was happy for Pierre, and Pierre was excited to hear where he ranked. Anyone who has watched the junior forward from Whitby, Ont., play over the last three seasons or had an interaction with him at all would share that excitement.
Pierre is the type of player and person you want in your program. Of all the athletes I've interviewed over the years, he's one of the most polite. In person, he's the exact opposite of the guy who has the most fearsome face in almost every photo I've ever taken of him grabbing a rebound or throwing up a hook shot in the paint.
Pierre often asks before or after an interview how I'm doing, how my travels to away games went. Early in his career, you could tell he had a chance to have a special career at UD, and he's lived up to that promise.
On the day he will likely reach 1,000 points in his Dayton career (and in less than three seasons), Pierre is even getting some love from ESPN.com.
Writer Myron Medcalf ranks Pierre fifth on his list of top 10 most underrated players in the country.
Archie Miller has dealt with a sizable share of drama this season. But the Flyers, last season's NCAA tournament darlings, are still in a position to reach the Big Dance. Pierre has helped Miller's program stay afloat and continue to wrestle for an NCAA tournament berth. The 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 12.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 2.9 APG. He's also playing 31.8 MPG. Everybody knows Jordan Sibert, but Pierre matters, too.
Pierre is eight points away from becoming the 44th player in UD history to score 1,000 points. He will likely pass Charles Little (996, 2005-09) tonight in a 6 p.m. game against St. Joseph's and could also catch Sean Finn (1003, 2000-04).
Pierre could enter the top 35 by the end of the season, depending on how many games UD plays in the postseason. With a big senior year, he will enter the top 20 in career scoring.
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