Maryland forward, Jin Soo Choi, the first Korean-born basketball player in the NCAA, has decided to leave the school and return to Korea, coach Gary Williams announced on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-8, 185-pound forward struggled academically and on the court, scoring seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 44 minutes this season. He didn’t play in two of the Terps last three games.
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“It is really hard to do both — play basketball and study,” Choi told Jump Ball, a Korean basketball publication. “Studying causes me a lot of stress. I only want to play basketball, I don’t want to have to think about studying.”
According to Jump Ball, Choi had failed a class and was likely to become ineligible on Jan. 22. Choi is expected to play pro basketball in South Korea.
Terps note
Maryland also announced that senior guard Greivis Vasquez is one of 20 finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. The list was cut from 73 nominees on Tuesday and will be pared to 10 on Feb. 1 and five on March 1.
