For the first eight home games of the season Gilbert Brown watched Pitt play from the stands inside the Petersen Events Center. It was the only time he was permitted to watch his teammates in action.

Barred from practice and any other team-related activities during his semester-long academic suspension, games were the only way for Brown to keep tabs on the team.

Tonight, Brown goes from spectator to participant when the Panthers (9-2) play host to Ohio University (7-3). Brown, a 6-foot-6 redshirt junior who missed the first 11 games after being suspended from the university in late August, practiced with the team for the first time Sunday and will be in uniform for the non-conference contest against the Bobcats.

Brown is banned from speaking with reporters until after he participates in a game, but his teammates yesterday were anxiously awaiting his return to the lineup.

"Having Gil back is big," senior guard Jermaine Dixon said. "He brings another aspect to our defense. And he's an athletic player. That's something that we need. That's something we were kind of missing."

Brown, who has played in 72 games, instantly becomes coach Jamie Dixon's most experienced player. Brown started 15 games as a redshirt freshman in the 2007-08 season after Mike Cook injured his knee. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game that season. He was especially good in the Big East Conference tournament that season, scoring 12 points in the Panthers' victory against Georgetown in the championship game.

Brown played in 32 games as a reserve last season and averaged 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. With the departure of all-Big East Conference player Sam Young, Brown was expected to take on the role of leading scorer as well as team leader.

Those duties have fallen to other players, most notably sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs and junior guard Brad Wanamaker. Jamie Dixon would not divulge how he would use Brown against Ohio, but in time he will be an integral part of the team.

"We'll play it by ear," Dixon said. "Usually you have guys practicing and you know how they'll come in and play. We're getting our team starting [today]. It's unique. It's different in every regard. We're a new team. We're finding ourselves. We're evolving."

Brown has played almost exclusively at small forward during his first three seasons at Pitt, but he likely will play small forward and power forward for two reasons. The first is that Wanamaker is playing too well at small forward for Dixon to make any drastic changes there. Also, there is a need for Brown to play minutes at power forward. Sophomore Nasir Robinson started the first 11 games at power forward, but he has been inconsistent and could benefit from playing less often.

"Gil came back and practice picked up a little bit," Wanamaker said. "There's more competition. He was going hard. He brings something to the team we didn't have. It's always a plus to have him out there with us."

Brown worked out on his own during his suspension, and the reports from his teammates were positive about his conditioning.

"Gil was in pretty good shape," Wanamaker said. "He was constantly working out. Having him back is great. He showed he was in great condition. I'm sure the coaches were talking about it after practice. He surprised us as well."

The game tonight is the final one before the players leave for a few days of vacation over the holidays. They will be free to go home for three days and must report back Christmas night for a late-night practice.

The Panthers open the Big East schedule three days later against DePaul at the Petersen Events Center.

"It would be great for us to finish strong, having Gil back for the first time," Wanamaker said. "It gives us time to get our chemistry going. It won't be the chemistry we want going into the Big East, but it will be a start."

Check out Ray Fittipaldo's Pitt B-Ball blog and Paul Zeise's Pitt Stop videos about football exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.