Pierce dismissed from men's basketball team

The university announced this afternoon that Pierre Pierce, who faces potential burglary, criminal mischief, false imprisonment, and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse charges, will no longer play for the Hawkeyes.According to a statement released this afternoon:UI basketball player Pierre Pierce has been permanently dismissed from the team. The announcement came today from Head Coach Steve Alford."Effective, immediately, Pierre Pierce has been dismissed from the University of Iowa men's basketball team," said Alford."I regret this step has become necessary, but Pierre has betrayed the trust we placed in him when he was given a second chance two years ago. Pierre is an excellent basketball player who will be missed by our team. But, given the circumstances, I feel this is the only appropriate response."Pierce, a 6-4, 195-pound junior guard from Westmont, Ill., was Iowa's leading scorer with a 17.8 average. He was a strong candidate for all-Big Ten honors. He started 80 of 84 games during his Iowa career.He scored 1,072 career points and had 305 assists in his two-plus years with Iowa. He was co-Most Valuable Player for the Hawkeyes last year and was a third-team all-Big Ten choice. Pierre was named to the Gazette Challenge all-tournament team the last two years.