April 28, 2003
Pittsburgh, PA - Duquesne University head men's basketball coach Danny Nee announced today that junior forward Simplice Njoya (Yaound?, Cameroon/The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) has been granted his release from the program.
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Duquesne's Simplice Njoya, left, drives to the basket against Rhode Island's Lazare Adingono during the first half of A-10 Championship Tournament. |
In accordance with NCAA regulations, the release enables Njoya to pursue the opportunity to transfer to another institution and participate in men's basketball.
"Simplice informed me of his decision at a meeting we had earlier today," said Nee. "It has always been important to me to make sure that a player is happy. If someone does not want to be here, my philosophy is to help that person find what he is looking for. Simplice had a great opportunity at Duquesne, but felt he needed a change. We wish him the best."
The 6-10, 225-pound Njoya averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game in two seasons at Duquesne. He played in all 39 games for which he was eligible with 35 starts. The Yaound?, Cameroon native averaged 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot 41.7 percent from the field in 30 games this past season. Njoya's freshman year was curtailed by a 19-game NCAA suspension for receiving benefits while in high school prior to his enrollment at Duquesne.
"I will always respect Duquesne University and the friendships I built while I was here," said Njoya. "In going through life you are always making decisions and, after a lot of thought, this is the one I have made."
CAREER STATS FOR SIMPLICE NJOYA
YEAR G/GS MIN/AVG FG-AT PCT 3M-AT PCT FT-AT PCT REB PF/DQ A TO BK S PTS-AVG2002 9/9 276/30.7 31-74 .419 4-11 .364 17-23 .739 53-5.9 32/2 11 25 9 5 83-9.22003 30/26 839/28.0 78-187 .417 10-25 .400 65-96 .677 150-5.0 104/4 21 82 17 23 231-7.7Total 39/35 1,115/28.6 109-261 .418 14-36 .389 82-119 .689 203-5.2 136/6 32 107 26 28 314-8.1
