Egerson Leaves Georgetown

Georgetown sophomore Marc Egerson has withdrawn from the university, the athletic department announced yesterday. Egerson's departure leaves the Hoyas without one of their top reserves as they begin Big East play tomorrow against No. 17 Notre Dame.

"Marc will be leaving Georgetown for personal reasons," Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said in a statement released by the athletic department. "We respect his decision, understand that the University is not a perfect fit for every individual and appreciate the contributions he made while he was here. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Egerson's withdrawal comes as a surprise, considering that he was playing a much bigger role this season than he did as a freshman. The 6-foot-6 forward started the first three games of the season and appeared in all 13 games for Georgetown. He was fifth on the team in minutes played (24.1 per game), after averaging just seven minutes last season. He averaged 7.5 points and three rebounds, and was one of the Hoyas' best perimeter defenders.

Georgetown currently is on its winter break; second semester classes begin on Wednesday.

Egerson was a two-time Delaware player of the year at Glasgow High in Newark, Del. He also played for Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia, a prep school that was the subject of a Washington Post investigation in February. The Post reported that Lutheran Christian did not have its own building or formal classrooms, and its basketball coach was the school's only full-time employee. The Post also reported that Egerson played for Lutheran Christian after failing to graduate from Glasgow.

Attempts to reach Egerson or his family were unsuccessful. Thompson declined to comment further on the matter.

Egerson is the second player to leave Georgetown this season. Shortly after practices began in October, sophomore guard Josh Thornton decided to transfer; he later announced that he would go to Towson University.