Head basketball coach Pete Gillen announced in a press release yesterday that sophomore guard/forward Derrick Byars is leaving the program. Byars will receive immediate release from the team but will remain a student at the University for the duration of the spring semester.
"We appreciate Derrick's contributions to our basketball program for the past two years," Gillen said in the release. "We wish him the best in his future endeavors."
According to The Commercial Appeal, Byars and his family made the decision to transfer from Virginia so Byars could play closer to his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
"That's the only reason," Byars' father David Byars told The Commercial Appeal. "He just wants to be closer to home."
In accordance with NCAA regulations, Byars must sit out all of next year and will not be eligible to play Division I basketball until the 2005-06 season. According to the Virginia athletic department press release, Byars' future plans are unknown at this time.
If Byars truly desires to play closer to home, sheer proximity would make the University of Memphis a logical choice. However, such a move would be difficult for Byars because the Tigers are currently over their scholarship limit and did not heavily recruit Byars during his senior season at Memphis' Ridgeway High School.
In his senior season at Ridgeway, Byars averaged 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists en route to being named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee. In addition, he was selected to the Parade All-American fourth team while receiving Tennessee All-State honors.
In his two seasons with Virginia, Byars started 34 of 62 games at either the guard or forward position. During the 2003-04 season, Byars averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In addition, he shot 46.7 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from three-point range and 68.5 percent from the free throw line. In his freshman campaign, Byars averaged 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Byars began the 2003-04 season strong, scoring in double figures in eight of the team's first 10 games. During that stretch, Byars achieved his career high in points with 21 against Loyola Marymount and rebounds with 11 versus Coastal Carolina.
But after a promising beginning to the season, Byars proceeded to reach double-digit scoring in only three of the team's final 21 games, two of which came against Wake Forest.
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