Swingman Gary Forbes, expected to be a starter this year for Virginia, will leave the University and transfer to a school closer to his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., the Athletic Department announced Friday.
"I just wanted to go somewhere close to home," Forbes said. "Different things weren't working for me at [Virginia]."
Academic ineligibility was one of the main reasons attributed to Forbes' departure by various newspapers. Forbes would neither confirm nor deny that as the reason.
"It was a sad day," Forbes said. "I didn't want to leave. It wasn't necessarily my choice."
Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said he had very little information about Forbes' departure.
"I doubt it was a you-need-to-go issue, but I don't know that," Littlepage said. "It does surprise me -- I had no idea that he was transferring."
Forbes was one of the best players off the bench for the Cavalier basketball team last season, when he averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game, despite starting only four of Virginia's 29 games. Forbes scored in double figures in 14 games last season, leading many to believe that he would be a leader for Virginia in 2005. He would have been one of five juniors on the Cavalier roster and probably would have started at either the shooting guard or small forward position.
While with the Cavaliers, Forbes was one of the most reliable players for Gillen. He played in all 60 games during his two years at Virginia. As a freshman, he started 17 of Virginia's 31 games and led the team in scoring with 19 points in the season ending loss to Villanova in the National Invitational Tournament.
After the conclusion of last season, however, Forbes' time in Charlottesville seemed to be nearing a premature end. When former coach Pete Gillen was fired, Forbes considered transferring. Only after meeting with new head coach Dave Leitao did Forbes decide to return for his third season with the Cavaliers. Leitao was unavailable for comment about Forbes' decision.
The two players on the roster who match up most closely with Forbes in terms of size are sophomore Adrian Joseph and incoming freshman Mamadi Diane. Joseph averaged 4.2 points and 14.0 minutes per game in his freshman season last year. Diane averaged 14.1 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game during his senior season at DeMatha Catholic High School.
Forbes now must decide where to transfer. He indicated the University of Massachusetts was a possibility.
Forbes is the ninth player to transfer from Virginia since 1998. His transfer leaves only five upper classmen on the team -- one of whom is the seldom-played senior Billy Campbell.
With much anxiety surrounding the Virginia basketball program only a season before the move to the John Paul Jones Arena next season, the loss of Forbes signals a new direction for the team.
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