Sophomore guard Harrison Gaines has filed papers to transfer from the Penn men's basketball team, his father, Harry Gaines, wrote in a press release on March 11.
According to the press release Penn "wasn't a good fit" for Gaines, whose statement went on to say "I believe my long-term satisfaction lies in joining another university team."
Although Penn coach Glen Miller did not respond to a request for an interview, he did mention the departure on the most recent edition of his weekly interview with Penn Athletics.
"It's always unfortunate when a player decides to leave the program," Miller told Penn Sports Network's Brian Seltzer. "However, we believe we have a strong nucleus coming back."
This year the guard from Victorville, Calif., averaged 9.9 points per game, second on the team to Tyler Bernardini's 13.7. However, he only started 10 of Penn's 28 games, though he did play in all but two of the contests. He averaged 23.0 minutes, good for third on the team.
At the same time, freshman point guard Zack Rosen started all but one game for the Quakers, and led the team with 31.1 minutes per game. The freshman's five assists per game ended up leading the Ivy League.
In the end, Gaines "wants to join a team where he can fully utilize his skill set," the press release said.
Gaines does not know where he will play in the future, although he does want the school to have good academics as well as "a fast-paced, inclusive basketball program."
Perhaps most tellingly, Gaines said "I need to attend a school where I have confidence in the basketball team's leaders."
The decision was not made at any particular point in time, but instead was an "ongoing process for a while" that started as early as the end of last year, his father said in a telephone interview. However, he decided to play this year since he hoped to win an Ivy League Championship, the elder Gaines said.
Gaines is the second player to transfer from Penn this year, as classmate Remy Cofield left the team on Jan. 16. Penn also lost senior Tommy McMahon, who quit the program after an injury-plagued career in December.
