Departing Arizona freshman guard Justin Simon will criss-cross the country again, choosing to transfer to St. John's.
Simon, of Temecula, Calif., left his hometown to transfer to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire as a senior, then played at Arizona last season. He will have to sit out the redshirt season required of transfers and then be eligible in 2017-18.
Simon announced he was leaving Arizona on March 28, having played in only 24 of Arizona's 34 games. He averaged 7.5 minutes in those games, with 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds, playing the most significant time when Allonzo Trier was out with a broken hand early in Pac-12 play.
Simon was well-liked and UA coach Sean Miller commended him for being an "excellent student and teammate," but Simon made it clear he wanted a bigger role elsewhere.
“I enjoyed my year at the University of Arizona,” Simon said in a UA statement last month. “I would like to thank my coaching staff, teammates and the incredible fans here for all they did for me. My decision to transfer is centered on playing time. I would like a bigger role as a basketball player. Hopefully, I will be able to find this at my next program.”
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Thx to all the schools that recruited me. My next chapter has me in an Empire State🗽 of Mind.Happy to be a part of the StJohns family #Sjubb
— Justin Simon✨ (@simon_Says_so) April 21, 2016
Even though Simon is gone from the UA program, he still has a chance to significantly impact its APR score next year via his classwork the rest of this semester.
UA athletic director Greg Byrne said the men's basketball program had a chance at a perfect score in 2015-16, and while he couldn't discuss individuals because of student-privacy laws, the rules say UA will avoid a penalty for failing to retain him if he leaves with a GPA of 2.6 or more.
Normally, outgoing transfers cost a point for not being retained, and two points if they leave without being eligible, but the retention penalty is waived for athletes who post GPAs of 2.6 or more.
ICYMI, we had a breakdown of UA's APR scores for men's basketball and football. Michael Lev also discussed football specifically here.
Cal's Jaylen Brown will (finally) make an announcement, and he's expected to leave for the NBA. But Ivan Rabb might stick around, according to the Bay Area News Group.
Oregon State's Tres Tinkle is having surgery to help move along his ailing foot.
A Washington State committee says San Diego State tampered with Valentine Izundu, influencing his decision to transfer.
Then again, looks like everyone's itching to leave Pullman these days: Three guys are testing the NBA draft and Que Johnson is also transferring.
An optimistic Larry Krystkowiak says the Utes are "chopping wood" after "we rode a few horses pretty hard" last season.