Kostas Antetokounmpo leaves Dayton, plans 'start a new chapter'

Kostas Antetokounmpo announced his departure from the University of Dayton on Twitter on Thursday night, hours after an official press release by the university.

I have made the decision to start a new chapter in my life and basketball career. I want to thank The University of Dayton, the basketball program, my teammates, the students & the community for your constant support! I’ll forever be a proud Dayton Flyer!
— Kostas Antetokounmpo (@Kostas_ante13) March 22, 2018

Antetokounmpo, a 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman forward, plans to explore his options in the NBA, Dayton coach Anthony Grant said Thursday. He left school with six weeks left in the semester.

Antetokounmpo spent two years at UD. He committed to Dayton in June 2016 three days after visiting the campus. He ranked 89th in the class of 2016, according to Rivals.com.

In October 2016, the NCAA ruled Antetokounmpo a partial qualifier, and he wasn't able to play in his freshman season. He started practicing with the team in January 2017. He missed most of the summer workouts and preseason practices because of an injury he suffered in Greece but was healthy by the start of the season and appeared in 29 games, averaging 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

With Darrell Davis and Joey Gruden leaving, plus Kostas, X, Crosby and Pierce, Dayton loses 888 of 2,244 points (39.7 percent). Darrell accounted for 477 of those points. Last year, losing 4 seniors, plus Miller and Mikesell, UD lost 1,807 of 2,428 points (74.4).
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) March 22, 2018