Men's Basketball Southern Conference

Conley To Leave VMI

LEXINGTON, Va. -VMI sophomore guard Jason Conley has left the VMI basketball
team for personal reasons and intends to transfer to another institution in
time for second semester classes to begin. VMI head coach Bart Bellairs made
the announcement Thursday.

Conley, who last year became the first freshman to lead Division I in
scoring with a 29.3 average, was leading the Southern Conference in scoring
with a 22.2 mark. He had appeared in VMI's first 10 games, but was sidelined
the last two contests with a strained tendon in his right foot.

Conley asked for and was given a release by VMI to pursue other
opportunitites.

"We regret that Jason has decided to transfer," said VMI athletic director
Donny White "We wish him the best in his future plans. Our coaches and team
are working hard to prepare for the remainder of our conference season."

"I wish Jason the very best as he continues his education, and I am very
proud of the kind of player he developed into while he was at VMI," said
Bellairs.

Conley last year became the first freshman in league history to be named
SoCon Media Association Player of the Year, and was also named the league's
preseason Player of the Year in October. The 6-5 guard from Chevy Chase,
Md. scored a league-best and school record-tying 42 points against Western
Carolina on Feb. 9, 2002 and had 11 games of 30 or more points last year.

Conley in 2001-2002 was named the SoCon Player of the Year by the league
media, State Player of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Virginia
Sports Information Directors, and was a freshman and honorable mention
All-America. He was also selected to the All-District III coaches' squad,
the only non-ACC representative on the ten-man team.

Conley was leading the team in rebounding with a 7.3 average. He became the
28th player in VMI history to score 1,000 points in December, crossing the
threshold in a school record 36 games, and finished his VMI career with
1,029 points, which stands 26th on the Institute charts.