Dartmouth sophomore guard Leon Pattman, the winner of last season's Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, has left the team for personal reasons, assistant coach Shay Berry confirmed last night.
Pattman averaged a team-high 13.2 points per game last season. He was second on the Big Green with 4.4 rebounds per game and one steal per game. As a freshman he also had 1.3 assists per game and averaged just under 29 minutes of action.
The Memphis, Tenn., native started 19 of the Big Green's 28 games, but was limited somewhat by a groin injury late last season. The injury may have played a part in his decision.
"I think there was frustration on his part stemming from the injury last season," head coach Terry Dunn told The Valley News, of White River Junction, Vt., on Monday. "He wasn't able to do some of the things he was able to do in the past."
In his final game this season, a 79-59 loss at Hartford on Dec. 2, Pattman was 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-1 from the line in just seven minutes of action.
Pattman could not be reached for comment for this story by phone and failed to return an e-mail.
Pattman's teammates were unprepared for his departure.
"Leon's decision to leave the Dartmouth basketball family was a surprise to our team," senior co-captain David Gardner wrote in an e-mail to The Valley News Monday night.
Dunn also told The Valley News that he will always hold a place in the program for Pattman, and that his former teammates will always welcome him back.
At the same time, he dismissed suggestions that Pattman's departure was caused by any changes that Dunn brought to Hanover in his first season.
Dunn did not return phone calls by The Daily Pennsylvanian.
If Pattman's departure is indeed permanent, then Dartmouth will be hard-pressed to find a viable scoring threat as they try to improve from last year's 3-25 record and 1-13 mark in the Ivy League.
So far this season, the Big Green is 1-3, with its only win coming in its season opener against Quinnipiac Nov. 23.
Penn plays Dartmouth at Leede Arena Feb. 5 and hosts the Big Green on Mar. 4.
