Penn State guard Myles Dread 'back' but no timeline for full return
Myles Dread stood a few steps from Penn State men’s basketball assistant coach Adam Fisher. Taking in the Nittany Lions’ Tuesday afternoon practice at the Bryce Jordan Center, the fifth-year senior guard encouraged teammates battling through live action.
Undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, Dread’s battle this summer is of a different variety.
Still in the process of rehabilitating from that surgery, Dread is back shooting and participating in non-contact drill work. And, according to Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry, Dread doesn’t have a specific timeline for a return to contact.
“Myles had his surgery, and it’s a long process. I don’t know if I can get into the details of everything, but it was a pretty significant injury,” Shrewsberry said Tuesday. “He is back. He is doing non-contact drills, he’s jumping into drills when he can, and then he’s kind of leading from the side when he can.”
Dread has plenty of experience from which to do so.
Over the past four seasons, the Detroit native has appeared in 117 games for the Nittany Lions, starting 79. He’s averaged 26.7 minutes per game over that span, knocking down 232 career 3-pointers now. That number is good for fifth in program history.
Meanwhile, Dread’s defensive impact has expanded through his years as a Nittany Lion. Averaging 2.7 rebounds per game over that span, he also notched a career-high 95 steals during the most recent season.
Next steps for Penn State
In that vein, Shrewsberry said that much of the fundamental learning that is taking place in the program this summer – very much a product of having five true freshmen now on campus – isn’t as critically important to Dread’s development.
“It’s a process in terms of what he’s doing. He’s shooting jumpers, he’s working out, so he’s back, he’s just not doing the contact stuff and that’s okay,” Shrewsberry said. “It’s July. I don’t have a timetable of when he gets back full or when he’ll be able to start doing contact stuff, but Myles is a fifth-year senior.
Top 10
- 1Hot
12-Team CFP bracket
The updated field is set
- 2
Miami AD shot at Alabama
Dan Radakovich has CFP issues
- 3
Bama over Miami
CFP Chair addresses controversy
- 4New
CFP Top 25 revealed
Controversy is here
- 5Breaking
Kobe Prentice
Alabama WR to transfer
“He doesn’t need to box out to know ‘Hey, I need to box out every possession.’ There are things that he doesn’t need to do. Kebba (Njie), and Meech (Demetrious Lilley), need to do it physically to get it into their heads that this is what they need to do. Myles doesn’t need to do that. So he’ll be fine when it’s time.”
Expected to begin their schedule in early November, with an October start to the preseason, Dread has another three months to continue his rehabilitation and progress.
Until that day comes, though, Shrewsberry is confident that the player who returns will be one able to contribute to the Nittany Lions’ successes this season.
“I don’t have a timetable of ‘Hey, he’s going to be cleared, 100 percent full-go on this date.’ Whenever they tell me he’s ready, he’ll be ready,” Shrewsberry said. “I’m not worried about him.”
