The University of Maryland has officially announced the exit of Jin Soo Choi from the university and the men’s basketball program.
Other than the obligatory reference made every telecast about Choi being the first South Korean to play Division I basketball, his leaving does not figure to dramatically affect the fate of this year’s team, as he was not a regular part of the rotation. However, it leaves only Jordan Williams, Landon Milbourne, Dino Gregory, and James Padgett in the frontcourt picture with Steve Goins’ continued health issues.
It’s doubtful that Choi would have ever developed into anything more than a depth player given his slight build and limited skill set.
While last week was certainly worse for the Terps with the decommitment of Terrence Ross and the loss to William & Mary, this certainly doesn’t boost any spirits in College Park with the ACC schedule set to begin against Florida State on Sunday.
Here’s the official release from the University of Maryland:
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Jin Soo Choi has announced his intention to leave the University of Maryland and pursue a basketball career in his native Korea, head coach Gary Williams said Tuesday.
“After speaking with my family, we decided it would be best to continue my basketball career in Korea,” said Choi. “I want to thank the coaches and especially Coach Williams for giving me an opportunity to play basketball at a high level.”
“We wish Jin Soo well in whatever he decides to pursue,” said Williams. “We appreciate the contributions he’s made to our basketball program in the past two seasons.”
In nine appearances this season, Choi was averaging 0.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 4.9 minutes per game for the Terrapins.
